Exciting News and Winter Term Wrap Up at Newcomer Kitchen...

Spring has finally sprung🌷! And Newcomer Kitchen is cooking up somethin' somethin' good.

We are expanding... in more ways than one👊💥! And I have been promoted to Program Manager- woo hoooo! 

Since the "Willing To Work" food business program started as a pilot project funded by Immigration Refugee Citizenship Canada 4 years ago, it has been a dream and vision for our Newcomer Kitchen Executive Director to grow it. This project has developed leaps and bounds since the early days with numerous lesson iterations and teaching formats, and has benefited over 200 newcomer women. We just sent the final curriculum manual to the printer (it's been over two years in the making created during COVID) so we can take it nationwide, to any province, to any community, in any kitchen willing to open its doors to the newcomer population. 

We are so proud of this huge accomplishment!

Our determination resulted in extra government support and funding for additional staff. We happily just hired two dynamic Program Trainers to teach in a hybrid (online and kitchen format) delivery and to manage multiple food business opportunities through community collaborations. I will move out of teaching the program with newcomer women to work closely training our new trainers and ensuring the programs run smoothly🙏. On another expansion note, more staff needs more space. We are preparing to sign a lease to move into a larger sun-soaked office at CSI Spadina, and plan to equip it with a mini demo kitchenette for workshops. YaY!! That's not all we have going on, but more on that later :)

In my first gig as Program Manager, I will be presenting an info session promoted as follows:

Are you female identifying and a newcomer to Canada who loves to cook and or eager to start your own small business in the food industry?

Join Times Change Women's Employment Service as they host an information session for Newcomer Kitchen's "Willing to Work" 14 week Women's Food Business Training Program where you can earn while you learn and start your own small food business. 

Join Susan Ng, Program Manager at Newcomer Kitchen as she discusses the 14 week program that consists of 2 classes, plus a mentorship once a week with online business and cooking lessons. There are both evening and daytime cohorts available. See dates in eventbrite link or QR code. 

Newcomer Kitchen is a non-profit organization that seeks to create social and economic opportunity for newcomer women through food-based projects. Our goal is to create a model that can be replicated with any newcomer group, in any kitchen willing to open its doors, in any city in the world.

I have taught four very different dynamic groups of women over the course of a year as Program Trainer. I am so delighted that I ended that role on a high note with an exceptional group- Taste Elle... each and every one is AmaZing!

Congrats for completing our Newcomer Kitchen IRCC-funded Willing To Work Food Business Program. I had the privilege of teaching, learning, sharing and accomplishing together the many wonderful facets of food entrepreneurship in real life events where 100% of the revenue goes to the ladies. May you continue to embody the passion and spirit you each exemplified during this time and excel in all your goals. Believe it! Achieve it ⭐! Will miss you- for now 😉

This over-the-top layered Ukrainian honey cake has been the showstopper at our grad party with our proud and bold Taste Elle logo 😍. Prepared and designed by our Liza, it has wowed us and customers from the beginning (with our farmer's market cake box) to the last module (catering) @csitoronto 's What's Next Fest. It's sumptuous flavours were one of many deliciousness produced by this group over the term. Lucky me right 🤤!?

Liza's Ukrainian Honey Cake

Catching up on posting about the other two food events this group partook in after their Farmer's Market product to market experience. 

Cooking up deliciousness with Taste Elle for the Catering module. Lebanese date balls (with cardamom and nutmeg) rolled in cocoa or coconut. Plus Ukrainian layered honey cake, Indian deep fried veg lollipops, pan-fried veg patties and Syrian chicken rolls musakhan for a catering event @csitoronto "What's Next Fest" celebrating 10 years with community members at CSI Dundas 🤗💥!

We are all smiles 😊! Sold Out- 50 meals plus ✌!

Taste Elle, not only shine... they radiate inside and out 💫 ! Here they are completing the second food business experiential learning module Prepared Take-Out Meals without a hitch over 2 days in production. These ladies learned how to create a balanced, complementary and exciting menu with cultural dishes cooked from their hearts for our regular and new customers. Time and time again, I hear from our returning clients how they can taste the love put into preparing these meals. They are always looking forward to our event posts and what we offer. During pick up, some told me they were too excited to taste this one 🤗!

Congratulations Taste Elle once again 👏! I love the spirit in your team work and always doing your very best! It shows and I am so proud of our collective results 🥰! I know I will see some of you again soon 😉

And onto a new term with new trainers, new participants :). If you know a newcomer woman who may be interested in food entrepreneurship, please share this flyer about Newcomer Kitchen's Willing To Work Food Business spring program. Cheers 💐!