SOFIFRAN’s Cooking Workshops

Solidarité des femmes et familles immigrantes francophones du Niagara (SOFIFRAN) accomplished two things at once on Sunday, March 11 in Welland, celebrating International Women’s Day and, above all, wrapping up its Healthy Cooking workshop series.

Like good students, everyone brought a dish learned at one of these gatherings to share with the community. Rice and beans, baked pasta, mixed salads and giraumon squash soup, traditionally eaten every January 1 to celebrate the independence of Haiti, the first Black republic in history, filled the table, while at the stove chef Guy Dongué was putting together a surprise: vegetarian spring rolls. Together, the dishes gave a good sense of everything the group had learned over the year.

Having made the best dish, Geralda Augustin will have the privilege of welcoming the chef into her home to cook for her. Like her, all of the participants received a health ambassador certificate.

Led since the spring of 2017 by the Toronto caterer and his team, these intergenerational workshops brought several families together in the kitchen of Trinity Church to learn how to prepare simple, healthy meals.

“With themed menus twice a month, I introduced people to foods you find in Canada that you are not used to cooking when you come from Africa,” says Mr. Dongué, keeping an eye on the julienned vegetables that will fill the phyllo pastry.

“We took what immigrants knew in their home countries and adapted it to life here, blending the two cultures so that no one loses their bearings while still eating a balanced diet,” he continues. “Obesity is a worrying trend. Junk food is on every street corner. I am trying to help fight it, especially among francophones who do not get enough information and awareness in their own language.”

Go easy on salt, sugar and fat, and stay away from bouillon cubes and other products loaded with additives: that was the chef’s tireless message. “You can make everything yourself without spending more money,” he says. “You just have to take the time, know when and where to shop, and go for the seasonal vegetables you find at the markets.”

Participants got to know vegetables such as artichoke and fennel that they had not known how to cook, along with dishes that were new to them, like soup. The children focused on the lunch box in particular, preparing healthy meals last September.

The afternoon ended with a conversation about the place of immigrant women in Canadian society and about feminism. The SOFIFRAN team, meanwhile, is already hard at work looking for new funding so these workshops can continue, bringing people together and promoting healthy eating.