Great Food, Better Cause

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TORONTO — It was a rare scene at the University of Toronto’s Hart House yesterday when foodies turned out in droves to enjoy an ambitious meal prepared by high-school students — fortunately for everyone’s palate, these were no ordinary 12th graders.

The event, in support of Paul Finkelstein’s Screaming Avocado project at Stratford Ontario’s Northwestern Secondary School, was headlined by Food Network Canada celebrity chef Michael Smith and featured students from the revolutionary program manning the stoves.

By the time the last plate was picked clean, the young protégés had served four courses, including charcuterie, black cod, local pork with quince and rosemary scented panna-cotta — all under towering chef Smith’s watchful eye.

Not only was the evening an opportunity to show off the skill and professionalism of Finkelstein’s rookie toques, but it was also a chance to talk about the importance of quality food in our homes and our schools, particularly for the development of young people. “We currently have the cheapest food in the history of mankind, and we’re getting what we pay for,” said Smith. “We’re basically taking all of the money out of our food, and putting it into our healthcare system. We need nutritional literacy for every student across the country, starting in kindergarten. As it stands now, we’ve already lost one generation of cooks, and we’re on the verge of loosing another one,” he added.

While Smith was sure to acknowledge that he was more than likely preaching to the choir, he was also adamant, that the Stratford-based project, under the tutelage of Finkelstein and the school’s principal, Deb McNair, provides a good example to follow. “With the Screaming Avocado, what’s happening right now in Stratford is one of the most important things happening in food today,” he said.

In the end, while discussion tended towards the negative consequences of a poorly conceived food program and the dire state of affairs in most high-school cafeteria settings across the country, Smith concluded the evening with a trademark positive flourish. “No matter how bad the news gets, just remember, that in Stratford Ontario, we’ve got high schoolers preparing braised rabbit with figs and olives for lunch and selling it to eighth graders. There is hope.”

Initially designed as a fundraising event for the Screaming Avocado project, Finkelstein was quick to point out that sometimes when you teach your students that good food is a right, and not a privilege, world events conspire to change the game plan. As a result, Finkelstein announced that half of the money raised during the night’s festivities would be donated to the Red Cross in support of ongoing disaster relief in Haiti.

photo by Signe Langford

 

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