Join the Wellington Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (WCSA) for its ninth Fergus Celebrity Chef Dinner on March 23, at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex.
Organizers are proud to present award winning “father-chef-teacher-humanitarian” Paul Finkelstein, of The Food Network, Best Health magazine and the Screaming Avocado. Finkelstein will present “Food as a Tool for Change.”
“I’m so very pleased to be joining forces with this true culinary and educational leader. He inspired me to create the culinary program here at Centre Wellington District High School,” stated event organizer Chris Jess.
“He’s my mentor and we’re going to put on a beautiful meal that truly shows off the power of these kinds of courses in schools.”
In 2004, Finkelstein founded a culinary club inside Stratford Northwestern Secondary School, where he teaches, operating it as an alternative to the cafeteria.
In 2011, Finkelstein’s students went to the Governor-General’s Rideau Hall in Ottawa to work with chef Louis Charest, helping him cook for William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, during a royal visit.
Closer to home in Stratford, Finkelstein’s students interact with local farmers and other food producers in addition to visiting celebrity chefs such as Michael Stadtlander and Jamie Kennedy, who share with them their knowledge and skills.
Finkelstein is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. In March he will receive a Meritorious Service Medal from Governor General David Johnston to nationally recognize the efforts he has made to improve the relationship kids have with food.
The aromas of his experiential teaching approach are savored on a global scale, inspiring his students to cook (and eat) their way across Canada, through Italy, Japan and other exotic food destinations, officials state.
For Finkelstein, healthy food is a right, not a privilege, and he empowers his students to promote this philosophy. Not a crumb goes to waste in his lessons and his students are constantly being reminded of the importance of working, and eating, together, officials say.
Early bird tickets are $40, or $25 for youth, until March 1 – and $50 and $30 respectively after March 1. They are available at Fraberts Fresh Food in Fergus.
“They always sell out quickly so get yours soon,” officials state.
The celebrity chef dinners are important fundraisers for the WCSA, which supports and promotes learning opportunities that encourage sustainable food communities.
