- YTC Quicklinks
As a You’re the Chef (YTC) leader, there are many things to organize to help you run YTC in your school or organization. Use the following information as a guide to help you plan your YTC program.
Group Size
Limit the number of participants to 16 to allow all youth to be involved in preparing a recipe, allowing four groups of four that will each prepare the recipe or half a recipe. Groups of four ensure everyone in the group get to take turns doing each task.
Program Cost
YTC can run economically. Many pieces of equipment (e.g., measuring cups, spoons, spatulas) can be purchased at dollar stores and more expensive pieces (e.g., electric skillet) can be borrowed, donated or purchased second hand. Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health has some cooking kits which can be borrowed for running YTC. The kits contain most of the cooking equipment needed for YTC recipes. More information about the kits can be found in the cooking kits section.
Food Allergies and Dietary Restrictions
YTC recipes do not include nuts, however not all food allergies are accommodated in the recipes. Check with participants about food allergies and always read the labels on ingredients. YTC should not be promoted to individuals with serious food allergies.
Consider religious dietary restrictions, if necessary, when selecting YTC recipes. A Guide to Understanding Halal Foods (PDF) provides information on culturally acceptable foods in the Islamic religion.
- Program Logistics
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Connect with a contact at the school or organization to make arrangements and help promote the YTC program to youth. This person should also be available for questions for the duration of the program. Collect participant registration forms. Have the school/agency contact give interested youth a copy of the Parent Registration Letter (see Forms and Templates section). Confirm there is maximum of 16 youth registered along with parent/guardian signatures. Secure a room for the duration of the YTC program with:
- Tables/desks/counters that can be used as cooking surfaces.
- Access to two sinks (one for handwashing and one for food preparation).
- A minimum of four electrical outlets.
- Access to a fridge to store ingredients.
Find at least six dates/times (i.e., one and a half hours to two hours each) when the room and participants are available. Recruit volunteers to support the program. Aim for one volunteer per four students.
Plan how to access:
- A photocopier to copy recipes/resources.
- A cooler for transporting frozen/refrigerated items from grocery store.
- An organics bin and develop a plan for how to dispose of organics after each session.
- Cleaning and sanitizing solutions to clean the surfaces before preparing food.
- A first aid kit and develop a plan for handling possible injuries and incident reports.
- Review the YTC website for information, resources and recipes. Choose the recipes that will be prepared and print copies for youth to use to cook in the sessions and take home with them.
- Obtain funds to purchase ingredients. Organize access to cooking equipment, either through WDGPH cooking kits or through your school or organization administrator.
- After the last session, provide completion certificates to each participant. Blank certificates are available on the Forms and Templates page.
- Running the YTC Sessions
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Ready
Arrive early to prepare the room and clean and sanitize cooking surfaces and equipment. Set up workstations with equipment and recipes. Divide participants evenly between stations. Avoid preparing ingredients ahead of time, as this is a learning opportunity for the participants.
Set
Welcome participants and have them pull their hair back and wash their hands. Review expectations (e.g., cellphone use, emergency procedures, etc.) Briefly review the recipes being prepared and skills and ingredients necessary for the recipes. Demonstrate one or two food skills and encourage participants to practice.
Cook
Encourage participants to discuss steps, ingredients, equipment and skills with each other as they prepare the recipe. Allow participants the opportunity to practice cooking skills on their own and provide support as needed (e.g., with use of knives and sharp equipment). Ask participants to remind each other about safe food handling and kitchen safe practices.
Eat
Ask participants to introduce the recipe they prepared and share cooking tips. Invite participants to taste the recipes and remember not to pressure anyone to try the food. It is their choice to eat the food. Encourage positive discussion about their experience with cooking, tasting new foods and using new ingredients.
Clean
Involve participants in cleaning the room and the equipment and putting away food. Cleaning is an important part of the cooking process.
- Discussion Questions
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Consider using some of these questions during the eat phase of the program and keep the discussion positive.
- Did you enjoy making the recipe? Would you change anything in the recipe if you were making it at home?
- Have you ever had anything like this before? If yes, tell us more about it.
- What is one thing you have learned from today’s session?
- What foods could spices and herbs be added to?
- What are the benefits of developing food/cooking skills?
- What are the benefits of eating with others?
- How can you make eating an enjoyable experience?
- What is eating mindfully?
This is a great opportunity to find out what eating mindfully means to them. Put the ideas together and create a definition for the group. Eating mindfully can look different for different people. Here are some common ideas on how to eat mindfully:
- Being aware of your eating habits by being present and paying attention to what you are choosing, preparing and eating.
- Exploring the foods you are eating with all your senses to increase your enjoyment of the eating experience.
- Paying attention to your hunger and fullness signs to help you decide when to start and stop eating.
- Noticing your thoughts and feelings about foods and yourself without judgement.
