Seniors help stir the pot at Nord-Bridge cooking class

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on August 10, 2022.

Herald photo by Ry Clarke Aydreana and Jane Ainsley bake together in the Chinook Country Kitchen Tuesday afternoon hosted by Nord-Bridge Seniors Centre and Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge.

Nord-Bridge Seniors Centre and Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge host an intergenerational baking class at Chinook Country Kitchen to help teach healthy cooking across all generations.

Bringing grandchildren and grandparents together or partnering members up, the goal is to use community donated foods to bake meals that can be shared in all households and further learning for continual cooking.

Grandmother and granddaughter duo Aydreana and Jane Ainsley had a blast making dinner rolls at Tuesday’s class, learning how yeast rises and sharing skills from one generation to the next. They have attended previous classes and enjoyed the results from cooking food to take home to the family.

“We wanted to do more intergenerational programs. We thought that a partnership through the Interfaith Food Bank would be a good way to start because they have their own kitchen and the space for it, and Nord-Bridge doesn’t really have that, so it’s nice we’ve been able to make that work. In the past, we did do this as just a cooking class for seniors, if they haven’t cooked before, and it was a good class to get started in. Then that morphed into something else when we wanted to do more different generational projects working together and bridging that gap between the ages,” said Ashley Kern, program coordinator at Nord-Bridge.

Generations of all ages have come to experience the program learning new skills in the open environment while learning from instructors and their peers.

“It’s been really positive in the results. A lot of fun has been had. They are all learning new skills, and recipes for baking and cooking together. Because we are a little bit closer some people will say ‘Oh try cutting it this way’ and they help out with each other. It’s not like you’re on your own. You get more friends because you meet new people,” added Kern.

“This program is really great. We target specific recipes for a lot of people that are easy and affordable, the idea is they get a meal that will feed their family for a night,” said Megan Miller with the Family Centre here in Lethbridge, helping teach Tuesday’s class. “It helps with skills and people who need that extra support. Because you’d be surprised how many people don’t know what a teaspoon is, we’re learning and teaching. For some people that extra support is a great opportunity for an entry level cooking class. This is what we try to do. Focusing on inexpensive ingredients that fit a budget and helping these groups in the kitchen. We’ve got some more experienced people and they’re giving their tips to help others as well.”

Nord-Bridge and Interfaith will host another intergenerational cooking class on August 16 at 1 p.m. in the Country Kitchen. Those looking to sign up can contact Nord-Bridge at 403-329-3222.

Comments are closed.