On October 8th, the Sylvia Center partnered with the Queens College Knights Table Pantry to promote food education and dietary wellness through a unique cooking class. The collaboration titled “The Knight Shift Meal Series” gave twenty-five students the opportunity to experience a live Zoom cooking session with a chef from the Sylvia Center.
The cooking session focused on vegetarian Latin cuisine in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month with meal-kits being distributed prior to the Zoom session for an easy, at-home guided cooking experience.
The Knight News reached out to the Sylvia Center and QC’s Associate Director of Civic Engagement and the Knights Table Pantry at QC, for further details.
Founded in 2007, the center has run hands-on culinary programs across New York City and upstate New York, engaging with over 6,000 participants annually. Annette Barlow, Culinary and Communications Coordinator, expressed the importance of culinary skills and food education. “The goal of this program is to give students the skills and confidence to prepare healthy, delicious meals for themselves and their families,” said Barlow.
The program is mainly run in the Bronx, Manhattan and upstate, while 5% of operations run in Queens. The partnership with the Knights Table Pantry at QC is both monumental and a step in the right direction in food education.
“For college students—many cooking and shopping for themselves for the first time—these skills are crucial. President Wu recognized an opportunity to pair the Knights Table Pantry with our family cooking classes, and the feedback has been outstanding,” said Barlow.
The Sylvia Center’s partnership with QC serves as a stepping stone for collaborations with other local Queens communities and schools. Barlow mentions how Queens is a natural fit for the program as it is the most ethnically diverse borough in New York. “We currently run two Teen Culinary Apprenticeship cohorts in Queens, and as our partnership with QC grows, we hope to engage more students and expand programming with local schools and community centers.”
Arianna Livreri, Associate Director of Civic Engagement and the Knights Table Food Pantry, Office of Student Development and Leadership weighed in on the benefits for QC students. The center’s involvement with QC has opened an outlet for more volunteer opportunities for students interested in packing meal-kit bags and new innovative sessions. “Students are not only given a virtual cooking class they can participate in from home, but also receive meal kits to continue cooking these delicious meals on their own,” said Livreri.
Barlow highlights the value of these cooking classes and benefits of this collaboration at QC saying: “This partnership is still new, and our goal is to get to know the students, listen to what excites them most, and build programming that truly serves their needs. The feedback so far has been incredible, and we look forward to continuing the conversation and expanding our work together.” In uncertain times, food security, advocacy, and education are important for students and community members alike, not just in Queens, but all around.
Although cost-efficient and healthy meals were major highlights, Livreri mentions how the Sylvia Center only works with vegetarian meals, which makes it inclusive to most dietary restrictions. If told ahead of time, they try to provide vegan options as well.More information on events held by the Sylvia Center and Knights Table Pantry can be found through the Knights Pantry Instagram and the Sylvia Center website.
