Social enterprise aims to give young people real food for thought
A project teaching cookery to children from deprived areas is changing lives – and it could soon have a permanent HQ. By Sean Murphy
After three years of hard work with communities and schools in the capital, training as many people as possible in local, healthy and fresh food production, capital-based social enterprise Edinburgh Food Social (EFS) has launched a crowdfunder to build a permanent home in the city to continue their goal of helping to drastically improve the lives of young people across Edinburgh.
The project, which currently travels around in a food truck, is directed by Eleanor Cunningham of Edinburgh Larder, with involvement from some of the city’s best chefs, including Fred Berkmiller of L’escargot, who invites many of the children along to learn about growing vegetables at the rejuvenated Newton Walled Garden.
Steve Brown, who helped found the project in his role as head of education, says it sprung from a desire to give something back to the community and the realisation that there is a “growing disconnect” between people and food.
He said: “The role of our Food Training Hub will be to re-establish that link between great people and great food, using training and education to inspire them to cook really nutritious meals with local ingredients and inspiring young adults,
aiming to give them the skills to get into the hospitality industry.”
Steve, who has over 20 years experience as a chef – working at some of the world’s most prestigious restaurants in places like London, Germany and France – said he has seen first hand the difference food security, knowledge and understanding, nutrition and conviviality can have on people’s lives. This inspired him to share his passion for food, skills and experience with as many folk as possible, particularly those who ordinarily wouldn’t have these opportunities.
He said: “To begin with the kids can be a little bit reticent, a little bit unsure, but the more you engage with them the more they open and giving them the practical skills can really have a huge impact on them.
“It builds on their literacy, numeracy and practical cookery skills and applies them in a real-life setting, giving them real confidence to go forward in life.”
With the recent skills shortage in hospitality, he hopes the project will inspire local young people to consider a career in the industry.
He said: “In places like France and Italy hospitality is seen as a real career for people and we want to see that in Scotland too. With Ambition 2030 and the growth in tourism we need the people to back that up and we would like to show kids that it is a fantastic career.
“Really, it’s a lifestyle, not a job. I’ve been in this industry for 20 years and it has served me so well, I’ve travelled all over the world and met some incredible people and that’s all been through a passion for food.”
The group’s latest project is hugely important to Steve: “We want to create a Food Training Hub in Portobello, giving us a central location so that we can welcome people in and also so we can generate revenue for our social enterprise.”
To create this Food Training Hub the group have launched a crowdfunding appeal to raise the £20,000 they need.
“The idea is to have that home that can really inspire people, bringing them in to cook meals together, getting them involved in the conviviality of food,” said Steve.
“We’d love to be able to get innercity kids to come down during the holidays – with holiday hunger a real problem – to cook and eat breakfast together to get them thinking about the social value of that.”
If you would like to support this social enterprise, which will make a real difference to the lives of many young people in Edinburgh, visit the Edinburgh Food Social’s Crowdfunder page at www.crowdfunder. co.uk/edinburghfoodsocial