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Helping young Canadians build kitchen confidence with La Tablée des Chefs

The crack of an egg. The sizzle of butter on a hot pan. Chop. Stir. Flip. Dishes clatter. Laughter and excited voices. A chorus of mmmm! This is what building confidence in the kitchen sounds like. Helping young people develop practical kitchen skills is one of the reasons for a new partnership between Get Cracking® and La Tablée des Chefs.

They’re a national non-profit organization that equips young people with practical hands-on experience and recovers surplus food to feed people experiencing food insecurity. For almost 25 years, La Tablée des Chefs has helped more than 95,000 young people build food autonomy through cooking knowledge and healthy eating habits.¹

Our new partnership supports two of La Tablée des Chefs’ youth culinary programs—Kitchen Brigades and Cook Up Your Future—helping expand their reach across Canada and providing everyday meal-planning tools. These tools equip young people with the knowledge to build healthy eating habits, and the skills and confidence to prepare meals and live more independently.

“La Tablée des Chefs is extremely grateful for the support received through this major partnership. This collaboration will make a meaningful difference by directly helping young people develop their food autonomy. Thanks to this shared commitment, we can sustain and expand our key programs, such as the Kitchen Brigades and Cook Up Your Future, providing future generations with the tools they need to eat well and actively contribute to the fight against food insecurity.” – Jean-François Archambault, General Director and founder, La Tablée des Chefs

Building lifelong food skills

Through the Kitchen Brigades after-school program, high school students get hands-on experience in the kitchen while developing skills that extend beyond cooking. By preparing meals together, participants learn healthy eating habits and basic culinary techniques while building creativity, leadership and teamwork.

The Cook Up Your Future focuses on building the practical knowledge and confidence needed for greater independence through workshops and specialized support. By taking part in practical cooking experiences using simple, affordable ingredients, participants learn how to prepare meals, make healthy choices and become more self-sufficient. These important skills that can help ease the transition to living on their own or when facing challenges.

Quote 1 “I really like this program. It teaches me many things, not just how to cook, but also how to communicate, work in a team, manage my time, take responsibility and do my best in a stressful environment. I recommend this program to anyone who wants to learn and improve in their everyday life. I look forward to more fun experiences with the chef.” – Myroslava, former participant
Quote 2: Nathan was a fifth-year high schooler at high risk of dropping out. He attended school only once a week but was there every single Tuesday for Kitchen Brigades. He was always early and helped me carry in groceries, set up the room, and shared details of his day with me. Over the course of the school year, I watched Nathan blossom from a shy, unsure kitchen novice to a confident young chef. Tablee des Chefs taught him life skills that he will use in the kitchen and beyond. Once a week, he had a safe, happy space where he learned to cook and where he also improved his communication, team building, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills.” – Winnie, Chef Trainer
Quote 3 “The Kitchen Brigades was an exceptional experience for me. Thanks to this activity, I was able to develop my passion for cooking. It helped me choose my post-secondary studies, because after high school, I made the decision to do a Diploma of Vocational Studies in cooking.” – Makayla, former participant

The power of eggs

From breakfast burritos to easy egg fried rice, eggs are a versatile and affordable ingredient that can help young people become more comfortable preparing meals. They are also a nutritious choice, providing 13 essential nutrients, including high-quality protein.

In partnership with La Tablée des Chefs, we’re helping more young people develop the knowledge and know-how to prepare nourishing meals and learn skills they can carry with them for life.

Visit eggs.ca for recipe ideas, meal inspiration, cooking tips and more.

¹ La Tablée des Chefs. (2026). Our Mission. tableedeschefs.org