Written by: Eunice Yidana
An organization that caters to and sharpens the food skills of both children and adults is what Growing Chefs! Ontario is well known for in London, Ontario. Growing Chefs! Ontario is a registered charity that started in 2008 with the sole purpose of uniting chefs, growers, educators, and community members — and changing the way children and families learn about and develop healthy relationships with food.
In a time where food security is a national challenge, this food organization provides food education projects to alleviate the challenge through the creation of diverse food education programs for schools, children, youth, and families. Since their start, more than 120,000 children and youth have participated in their programs, and over 10,000 participants engage each year.
The programs at Growing Chefs! Ontario are designed to provide an experiential learning experience that combines fun and education about food literacy, offering a deeper insight into food systems. Illana Guslits, the Garden Programs Coordinator at Growing Chefs! Ontario, describes the uniqueness of their programs:
“Growing Chefs is proud to work with students, youth, and the whole community to learn about where our food comes from with hands-on garden programs while highlighting these amazing local flavours with our Chefs in the kitchen!”
All Growing Chefs! Ontario food education programs for children are divided into three categories: school programs, community programs, and public programs. These programs are strategically positioned to equip children in all facets of their learning areas. For adults, they offer private and interactive adult cooking classes, with a minimum of 15 participants and a maximum of 30 participants per class. The classes are structured to include professional chef-led instruction and a collaborative learning environment, catering to corporate teams, families, and friends, with fresh, local, and organic ingredients sourced whenever possible.
In addition, Growing Chefs! Ontario serves as a versatile centre for holding events such as conferences, boardroom meetings, weddings, bridal and baby showers. Through their social enterprise model, all funds raised during private and corporate events go back into their food education programs. Last year alone, the organization delivered 125,000 scratch-made lunches to local schools, generating $1.2 million in revenue, with over 40% of ingredients sourced locally in Ontario.
This work has also been recognized at the provincial level. In 2025, Growing Chefs! Ontario was awarded both the Minister’s Award and the Education Excellence Award at the Ontario Excellence in Agriculture Awards, presented by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. These awards highlight leadership and innovation in Ontario’s agri-food sector and celebrate outstanding contributions to agricultural and food literacy. “This recognition is a true honour,” says Katherine Jones, Executive Chef at Growing Chefs! Ontario.
“It’s a reflection of our team’s dedication and passion — 22 small but mighty superheroes who believe in making food education equitable, impactful, and fun. We hope our model continues to inspire similar initiatives across Ontario.”
Learn more about Growing Chefs! Ontario.
