Foodies will be able to support those in need by offering up the secrets to their tastiest dishes this month.
The Okotoks Food Bank is working on a new fundraising project to commemorate 35 years of serving the community in 2020.
“We wanted to do a couple of out-of-the-ordinary, bigger events to mark such an occasion,” said food bank executive director Pamela McLean.
With many food programs operating out of its Stockton Point location, the Food Bank Association decided a cookbook would be a natural fit with its current offerings. They then decided to open its creation up to the community – and by community, they mean the greater Foothills area and beyond.
“We are helping people in Nanton, in Millarville, in Priddis,” said McLean. “So we thought we should broaden the project scope as well.”
They food bank would like to involve any food producers and restaurant owners in the region, provided they are not a franchise chain, she said.
Anyone who has been a sponsor or volunteer, or interested in and involved with the food bank can be included, she said.
The cookbook theme is to be simple, approachable, local and seasonal, she said. Recipes should be cost-effective and inspired by the local community with accessible ingredients, limited processed foods, easy-to-follow directions, and education where possible.
In addition to providing preparation and cooking times, McLean said adding tidbits and history is welcomed.
“We envision in the layout of our book we’re going to have little sidebars or tidbits filled with just such lore,” she said. “That’s something that’s going to make our cookbook stand out from the rest and why someone in our community would want to buy that cookbook – because it is filled with a while lot of local knowledge.
“So if there’s any relevant history or stories, or any educational tips or any little cooking tidbit that maybe your mom or your grandmother passed along to make this recipe just over the top, then we’re asking for those kinds of secrets.
She said they would like to have recipes highlighting local producers like ranches, greenhouse operations and growers, or places like Chinook Honey Farm in the book.
The project is being put together by a committee including local professionals Darren Nixon from Devine Cooking and Okotoks Sobeys, Sherry Lindenbach from 94 Take the Cake, and Jarod and Michelle Traxel from Little Fast + Fresh.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said McLean. “We’re hoping it’s going to be quite lovely.”
She hopes the cookbook will be ready for purchase by September 2020, depending on how long it takes to collect enough recipes.
Until it’s complete, she won’t know how much the book will sell for. The idea is to pay for publication as much as possible, so proceeds from the cookbook can go directly into the food bank.
McLean said donations to the food bank are not being used to fund the cookbook project. She has $5,000 in grant money to start and hopes to pay for the bulk of the project that way.
“I don’t want any of our donors to be concerned that, unless they specify, that money they have donated to feed the hungry is put toward our cookbook,” she said. “It’s a project separate from our operating budget.”
Though the funds are separate from the food bank operations, she said the philosophy behind the book aligns with the service well.
It ties in with the idea of creating a community that has food security – when all people, at all times of the year, have regular access to nutritious food that is acceptable to them, culturally or dietary restrictions included.
“I think when we’re all working together as a community to achieve that goal, we’re a stronger community for it and putting out this cookbook is just one little piece of that overarching philosophy,” said McLean.
“We just thought a cookbook would help us tell our food bank story of the last 35 years in a really beautiful way, and by being able to include the bounty we are blessed with here in the Foothills, that it was a suitable format to do it in.”
The collection of recipes began last week and they will be taken until Jan. 15, she said.
Recipes may be emailed to [email protected].
