MSU Food Collective Centre hosts January cook-along event

FCC brings students together to learn and share accessible recipes in a hands-on cooking experience

The McMaster Students Union's Food Collective Centre hosted its January cook-along event on Jan. 29, 2025, at The Hub. This event is part of a monthly series designed to promote food literacy, build community and demonstrate how meal preparation for students can be accessible.

This month's cook-along, held in collaboration with Maccess, emphasized making cooking more accessible for people with disabilities. During the two-hour session, participants prepared a coconut chickpea curry, chapati flatbread and a cucumber yogurt salad.

Christine Lin and Harry Li, the FCC's Community Kitchen coordinators, explained to the Silhouette that the event is open to all members of the McMaster community, including undergraduates, graduate students and staff.

"We call it a workshop, but we're really just cooking together. It's a collaborative opportunity to learn from each other, whether participants are experienced or just starting out," said Lin.

The recipes chosen for the workshops aim to reflect the FCC's core goals for diversity and accessibility. Each month, the recipes are selected so as to use seasonal ingredients an array of dishes from diverse backgrounds.

Recent events featured dishes like vegetable stir fry and tacos, showcasing a medley of global cuisines. Lin and Li highlighted the effort to ensure that recipes accommodate dietary restrictions, with vegetarian modifications always available.

In addition to cooking skills, participants gained practical knowledge such as meal planning, budgeting and food safety. According to Lin, the workshops also address food literacy, teaching participants how to find ingredients and prepare nutritious meals.

The cook-along initiative aligns with broader efforts to address food insecurity on campus, including the upcoming Food Accessibility Initiative referendum. The referendum proposes increasing the MSU organizational fee by $6.50 to fund the Soup & Bread Initiative, which would provide free soup and bread to students throughout the academic year.

Lin and Li expressed their support for the referendum's proposals, noting that these measures would help relieve the hunger of many students. However, they also emphasized that addressing food insecurity requires a more comprehensive and long-term approach that goes beyond immediate relief provided by such programs.

"Food insecurity is a complex issue. It's great that people will be able to have a free lunch every day, but what about the rest of the day? Are they able to cook by themselves at home? . . . We have to think more holistically," said Lin.

Lin and Li noted the importance of increasing the variety and accessibility of nutritious food options on campus. They emphasized that it is not just about providing meals but also about ensuring that students have access to fresh, affordable ingredients that empower them to cook at home.

They also explained how food insecurity differs among diverse groups of students. They suggested that graduate students, for example, can struggle to afford nutritious ingredients. Meanwhile, first-year students may not face the same immediate need to cook due to living in residence but could still benefit from learning basic cooking skills to prepare for future independence.

For students unable to attend the cook-along, Lin and Li also mentioned that the FCC is developing a cookbook featuring workshop recipes. The cookbook will include a variety of cultural recipes contributed by volunteers, aligning with the FCC's focus on representing McMaster's diverse campus community.

Looking ahead, the FCC has plans for future cook-alongs, including a February session in collaboration with the McMaster Community Garden and the McMaster Nutrition Club.