Cooking for a Cause blog post by Travis Harvey, Chef for a Cause

It is a rare Cooking for a Cause session that starts with our participants declaring they know how to cook. One or two hands will raise on inquiry, and meekly at that. Seems we are all so conscious these days of being held to the standard of a TV contestant that we fail to see merely combining effort, energy and appetite can make some incredible food.

Last week we had the pleasure of two energetic corporate volunteer groups from Commonwealth Bank in our commercial kitchen. With fruit, veg and meat rescued from Woollies, noodles and spices from a closed sushi shop and a few odds and ends we cooked over 250 meals that went to feed vulnerable people at local shelters and agencies.

Beginning the Cooking for a Cause session with some knife skills demonstrations and safety tips, the CBA corporate volunteer team pretty much took it from there. With the help of our OzHarvest chefs and volunteers, our “non cooks” produced restaurant-quality, handmade tortellini stuffed with ricotta (that they made them selves from leftover milk), feta and herb stuffed flatbreads, pearl barley and roasted apple salad and some of the best falafels ever (we added some spinach from the OzHarvest garden to the falafel filling). All of this beautiful, nutrient rich food rescued from becoming landfill, and made into extraordinary meals to feed people with dignity.

The buzz from both groups was palpable, and they really connected with each other and the contribution they were able to make through their work. Their food was pretty awesome too! We never really know what we are going to get to cook with, but with good people and a bit of effort it’s always an amazing result.

Cooking for a Cause is a unique corporate volunteering activity for companies looking for a corporate team building, staff and corporate engagement, corporate volunteering activity with soul and purpose. OzHarvest takes groups of 3 to 300 employees at any one time, just ask us about all of our corporate volunteering opportunities and we can tailor an corporate team building event to suit your needs, while at the same time, one that gives back to people in need. 

To make an enquiry about how your company can get involved please contact our Corporate Engagement Manager Candis Fraser – [email protected] or 1800 108 006.