Youth Workshop: East African Chapati & Beans

We’re taking a journey into the vibrant flavours of East African cuisine! Join us for a fun, hands-on evening where we explore one of the region’s most beloved and comforting meals: freshly made chapati paired with flavourful, slow-simmered bean dishes. Rooted in tradition and shared across generations, this meal is all about bringing people together through food, culture, and community.

In this interactive session, we’ll bring this experience to life by making soft, golden chapati from scratch, learning how to mix, knead, and cook it by hand while preparing a trio of flavourful bean dishes inspired by East African cooking traditions. Working in teams, participants will contribute to different components of the meal, exploring how simple ingredients like beans, spices, and aromatics come together to create rich, satisfying flavours. 

We’ll focus on building confidence in the kitchen while learning how to manage multiple components at once. Bring your appetite and your teamwork for a night of skill-building, storytelling, and delicious food!

Harvest Bucks are back! Just for attending, learning new skills, and participating, you’ll receive $20 in Harvest Bucks vouchers to spend on fresh, local food in the community. Whether you're new to baking or love trying new recipes, bring your appetite and your teamwork for a fun night of kitchen skill-building!

Date: Tuesday, November 10

Time: Doors open at 5:30 PM, workshop begins at 6:00 PM 

Location: Growing Chefs Headquarters, London, Ontario – https://www.growingchefs.ca 

Target Audience: This workshop is for youth aged 12 to 25.

This beginner-friendly workshop is all about teamwork, foundational skills, and tasty food — no cooking experience needed!

In this workshop, you will experience:

• Community & Connection: We’ll begin with a short icebreaker so you can meet others and get comfortable in the space.
• Food & Culture Connection: Learn about the cultural significance of chapati and bean dishes across East African communities, and how food plays a role in connection and tradition.
• Skills Demonstration: We’ll walk through key techniques including dough mixing and kneading, rolling chapati evenly, and safely cooking on a hot pan. We’ll also talk about how to build flavour in bean dishes using onions, garlic, spices, and proper simmering techniques.
• Hands-on Cooking: You’ll divide up and rotate through two main groups:
  - Chapati: Mix, knead, roll, and cook your own chapati from scratch.
  - Bean Dishes: Prepare a seasoned bean dish, exploring different spice combinations and cooking styles.
• Kitchen Flow & Timing: Practice managing multiple components at once as your team balances chapati preparation with simmering bean dishes.
• Tasting & Discussion: Enjoy the meal you’ve created together while discussing flavour, texture, and how these dishes can be adapted at home.

A Welcoming Space for Everyone:
At Grow Cook Learn, we believe food is a powerful way to connect across cultures and experiences. This is a judgment-free space where all backgrounds, skill levels, and identities are welcome. Whether you are brand new to cooking or experienced in the kitchen, this workshop is designed to be supportive, inclusive, and engaging.

What you’ll need:

• Your appetite and enthusiasm!
• All ingredients, tools, and materials are provided.
• Bring a container if you want to take home leftovers (highly recommended!)
• Clean indoor shoes ( to help keep the space clean and safe).
• A hair tie or clip to secure long hair during food preparation.

Bringing a friend, sibling, or support person? Awesome — just let us know when you register so we can plan ahead.

This workshop is completely FREE! However, any donations made at checkout are appreciated and go directly towards funding future workshops.

RSVP through the Dandelion Event Page. Questions or need to update your RSVP? Email us at lcrc@lcrc.on.ca. If your plans change, please let us know as soon as possible so we can offer your spot to someone on the waitlist!

We’re committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive space for everyone. Let us know if you require accommodations to participate fully.

Accessibility:

Step-free entrance (no automatic door). Main bathroom upstairs; a staff bathroom on the main floor is available if needed (note: narrow walkway). Staff will assist as needed to ensure participants can access the space comfortably. 

About Harvest Bucks:

We are thrilled to bring back Harvest Bucks for this workshop season! For attending and participating in this session, you will receive $20 in Harvest Bucks vouchers. You can collect these at every workshop you attend during the season!

What are they? Harvest Bucks are community vouchers redeemable for whole graded eggs, dried beans, fresh vegetables, and fresh fruit at participating local farmers’ markets and small community grocery stores.

Why do we use them? The goal of the Harvest Bucks program is to increase access to and consumption of fresh, nutritious foods, while building comfort and familiarity with local farmers' markets and small grocers. It’s a great way to support local producers and bring more fresh food into your kitchen!

About Growing Chefs Ontario:

Growing Chefs Ontario is a nonprofit connecting kids and youth with fresh, healthy food through hands-on food education programs. Their learning kitchen spaces give youth a safe, engaging place to build cooking skills, food literacy, and an understanding of food systems. For this workshop, we’re excited to be borrowing their space! Learn more at https://growingchefsontario.ca

About YWHO:

Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) is a nonprofit initiative supporting youth aged 12 to 25 and their families by providing the right services at the right time and place. Services include mental health and substance use support, primary care, education/employment assistance, peer support, and more. YWHO also helps connect youth to workshops like this one. Learn more at https://youthhubs.ca 

About Grow Cook Learn:

Grow Cook Learn is a project of the London Community Resource Centre (LCRC), a nonprofit, building community through food literacy and food security while promoting health and wellness for all. Learn more at https://lcrc.on.ca

Disclaimers:

• Ingredient availability may vary.
• Allergen Note: Please be aware that these recipes contain wheat. Vegan and allergy-friendly options are available upon request—please let us know when you register so we can best support your needs.
• Teamwork & Sharing: Participants will be working in teams to create their dishes.
• Attendance Policy: To ensure a quality experience for all, please plan to attend the entire session. Arriving late will result in missing the introductions and vital safety information, while leaving early may result in your team's recipe not being completed.
• Email Subscription: Signing up for this workshop automatically adds you to our workshop invitation email list. We send updates on future Youth Workshops. You can request to unsubscribe at any time.