OUR APPROACH

What sets us apart is the joy of the experience. All students handle, measure and cut the ingredients. By cooking and tasting, our little chefs learn the principles of healthy eating, discover new foods and develop food independence.

OUR MISSION

Promote nutrition and culinary education and foster social development through food among preschool and school-age children, their families, and adults in general.

OUR STORY in Alberta

The Ateliers cinq épices have been running in Calgary for over ten years. To learn about the origins of this Quebec program, we invite you to visit Les Ateliers cinq épices, founded in 2003 in Montreal. Its foundations are: ENJOYMENT, EXPERIENCES and DISCOVERY. Its goal is to highlight collaboration among the five key stakeholders: children, parents, schools, the community and funders.

Above all, to effectively deliver the program in Alberta, it was essential to align it with Alberta’s Ministry of Education standards and the principles of Health Promoting Schools. Some minor adjustments were needed.

In 2015, the Calgary Regional ACFA partnered with CelineCestBon, whose owner is a dietitian specializing in public health in Calgary, to bring this program to Western Canada under her supervision. Alberta is the first Canadian province outside Quebec to offer this type of cooking workshop. Its launch was marked by early childhood centres, daycare services and preschools. Schools followed.

Ten years later, the results speak for themselves—and they’re remarkable: more than 1,740 children aged 3 to 12, 347 workshops, 25 schools (French-language and French immersion), 5 childcare centres, 4 preschools, 3 summer camps, 82 teachers, 18 educators and 63 parent volunteers have benefited from the workshops. Seven facilitators have also been trained and certified to deliver the program in Alberta. The main regions visited are Calgary, Red Deer, Brooks and Fort McMurray.