Throughout the past few years, grocery prices have skyrocketed and it is becoming increasingly difficult to pay for basic necessities. Food insecurity is not an unfamiliar topic, especially for students. This has many people asking “What’s Soup With Food Insecurity?”. The Seasoned Spoon and TCSA hosted a collaborative event by this name on Monday November 13th. The event included a cooking class and workshop surrounding the matter.

The event was hosted at the Seasoned Spoon in Champlain College. Overall, the main goal was to learn to cook with affordable ingredients. Upon entering, attendees were met with a very welcoming and friendly environment. We began the hands-on cooking class by cutting vegetables and cooking rice. The cooking portion was led by Seasoned Spoon kitchen manager Leila Core and Seasoned Spoon education outreach coordinator Anna Petry. 

During this process, Alexx Bodden, the vice president of Campaigns and Equity at the TCSA and Bri Policicchio, the vice president of Health and Wellness at the TCSA, talked to us about resources to help those facing food insecurity. These include the ‘One-Stop Chop’ Pantry, located at the TCSA office on the second floor of the student center. This free resource, according to the TCSA website, allows undergraduate students to come in by appointment to take food (within certain guidelines) from the on-campus food pantry. In addition to this, attendees were given the TCSA’s ‘Grocery Guide’ pamphlet which shares recommendations and resources to help keep food more affordable. These include student discounts, budget-friendly stores, tips to avoid over spending, and more. 

As we continued making chickpea curry, we had other conversations relating to food insecurity. For one, we discussed the topic of food insecurity itself, what exactly is it? How do we deal with it? We generally defined food insecurity as a lack of access to sufficient food—in terms of quantity and/or quality—often as a result of economic factors. 

Regarding how to deal with it, we exchanged tips and tricks to lower our grocery bills, discussed available resources, talked about long-term food preservation, and exchanged nutritious meal ideas that utilize inexpensive ingredients, such as the one we were making. My personal favourite tip was to freeze large batches of soup in silicone muffin tins to make it easier to thaw it in reasonable portions.

As we were chatting, the flavourful aroma of spices filled the room. I was practically drooling. The end product was absolutely delicious. I was thrilled to learn that there are two Seasoned Spoon cookbooks with similar recipes which are available as a free PDF on their website, or to purchase from the café. Regarding food insecurity, I also learned that the Seasoned Spoon has pay-what-you-can soup on Fridays, which is a great opportunity for anyone wanting to try their amazing food. 

Towards the end of the night, Leila Core talked to me about the beneficial effects of collaboration between on-campus organizations and businesses, and that it can help create a more connected network to support students. Altogether, I had a great time. I not only learned more about the topic of food insecurity, but also some valuable cooking skills that I will definitely be using to impress my roommates and family. Overall, I heavily recommend going to similar events in the future.