Share this short clip of Michael Pollan (author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, and Food Rules) in which he talks a little about the connection between food and culture, and focuses on the American food culture of fast, easy food. Discuss with workshop participants why he thinks America's food and culture connection needs to change.
The final step to introduce the workshop is to have a chef come in and talk about using seasonable, local ingredients and to do a cooking demo and tasting for a dish tin which they can talk about the culture of the food they are creating. This can be an ethnic dish or simply a dish that has culture in the community because of the use of ingredients. The important thing is for the students to see how the food we eat is important to who we are as a culture - either the culture of one's local community or the culture of one's heritage.
Below is a list of resources to get started with ideas of who to bring in. Highlighted are chef's and programs around Wisconsin who focus on using local ingredients. You may also know of someone to come in and talk to your students. it does not have to be a chef. For Earth Day 2012 we had an Americorp volunteer come into our school and run a cooking demo for a breakout session we had and she taught us 3 recipes that we could make using local, fresh, seasonal ingredients.
Look at the quotes of "Food Rules" that Michael Pollan shared here. Educator will facilitate discussion amongst workshop participants to explore the meaning of some of these rules and the students thoughts and reactions. Focus on the connection between food and culture.
After going through the initial activity(ies) students will choose their area of interest. Guide the students in each area, helping them along the way and reminding them of the final product. Encourage students to grow their own ingredients, if that possibility exists, and to try and create their own recipes, using what they have learned about food through the workshop.
Encourage teamwork along the way. Individuals should be sharing what they are learning in the workshop research stage on a regular basis with others so they can learn about other aspects of the workshop and start thinking about how the final collaboration and project will come together.