At The Depot, some of our most meaningful programs have grown from creating space for participants to share what they already carry with them — their knowledge, traditions, and lived experiences.
One of the earliest examples of participant-led programming at The Depot was Cultural Cooking, now known as Recipes Together. Participants gathered to cook dishes from their cultures while neighbours joined to learn alongside them. Today, participants co-facilitate the workshops and, supported through an honorarium, they share not only food, but also stories, traditions, and lived experiences. What has emerged has been more than a cooking program: people connect, new flavours are discovered, kids join in, and traditions are passed from one kitchen to another.
As one participant shared:
“I learned that although Canada is cold, its people are warm and kind. During this activity, people from different countries came together as a community around food – our shared language.”
Over time, we saw how powerful that kind of exchange could be, not only within a single program, but across the organization as a whole.
We recognized that when participants lead, supported through mentorship and honorariums, programs become more responsive, more meaningful, and more rooted in community experience.
In 2019, this vision expanded at the Resto Depot when Joke, a longtime volunteer and participant from Nigeria, offered to cook jollof rice for the community. More than 150 people gathered to share the meal. The community loved it.
Since then, community members have stepped into the role of guest chef about once a month, preparing meals that reflect their cultures and experiences. Supported through an honorarium, these meals have become a highlight of the Resto Depot, bringing new techniques, flavours, and stories into the space. Many of these recipes continue to inspire menus across the organization.
This same spirit now grows in our gardens through Roots of Flavour, where participants cultivate culturally significant foods and transform them into dishes from home. A garden bed becomes a classroom. A recipe becomes a conversation between neighbours.
And in Boîte à Lunch, children and teens proudly share recipes that reflect their families, cultures, and traditions.
These moments remind us of something important: communities experiencing food insecurity are not lacking skills, creativity, or knowledge.
In fact, our community holds an extraordinary wealth of experience and wisdom. When people are invited to lead, teach, and share, spaces become more welcoming, programs become stronger, and deeper connections are built.
We see it every day at The Depot. Food is just the beginning. It opens the door to understanding, exchange, nourishment, and belonging.
Today, all participant-led cooking programming at The Depot is brought together under our Community Chef Series