Culinary Connections
Culinary Connections is an innovative, immersive kitchen experience for individuals to learn culinary techniques, nutritional literacy, communication and coping skills. Through a variety of courses created for various audiences, students are better able to plan and prepare balanced meals and ultimately enhance overall health, wellness and independence.
āNo one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.ā ā Julia Child
Our impact
88%
of R4I participants maintained or increased their kitchen tool and skill identification
92%
of caregivers reported improvement in studentsā cooking skills and food exploration
100%
of participants were interested in taking another course
Culinary Connections offers three experiential culinary arts courses and two specialized kitchen group therapy opportunities:
Multiple courses and class are offered throughout the year. Submit an inquiry for specific dates in your area!
Two Specialized Kitchen Group Therapy Opportunities
1. Culinary Arts
A collection of culinary classes for a variety of age groups and focus areas.
- Recipe for Independence
- Cooking with Friends
- Community-Based Pop Ups
- Coming Soon! Cooking Club
Recipe for Independence
An interactive skill-building course designed for adults of varying abilities to learn more independent and healthy habits in the kitchen. Topics include: cooking techniques, food diversity, healthy alternatives, kitchen safety & sanitation, and understanding recipes. Classes consist of eight sessions that last 1.5 hours each, led by a disability-informed culinary team. Each session focuses on one specific skill where participants are given multiple opportunities to practice the skill while producing a recipe they enjoy eating at the end!
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- Ages 16+
- Level 1 and Level 2 classes
- Multiple instructional techniques utilized, such as: photos & videos, modeling, task analysis, adaptive kitchen tools and so much more!
Cooking with Friends
A course for younger children to explore the kitchen, build on developmental play & communication skills and have fun in a social setting. āThe kitchen is my playgroundā āthere are no lectures or skill drills, simply a way to get comfortable with kitchen tools, tastes and techniques. We use our imaginations and practice important friendship activities for a positive food-centered experience.
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- Ages 7-12
- Four, 1 hour sessions
Community-Based Pop-Ups
Community-based, small group activities presented in partnership with other programs. These allow more individuals to participate at various locations.
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- Themed ingredients
- Nutritional literacy information
- Hands-on activities
- Food exploration
- Smoothie bike
- I want to host a Pop-Up!
Coming soon: Cooking Club
A social-based, food-centric group experience for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to further explore culinary topics and skills.
2. Culinary Wellness
A collection of culinary classes with specific targeted goals in mind
- iCook!
- Kitchen Mission
Learn more below.
iCook!
A skill-building and wellness hybrid course for foster care youth to prepare them for adulthood by pairing basic cooking skills with therapeutic coping techniques. This course is led by a licensed social worker with trauma-informed specialty skills and experience working with children in foster care.
Kitchen Mission
This culinary therapy group courses specifically tailored to skills and lifestyle stress needs such as: mindfulness, communication, connectedness, and healthy habits. Led by a licensed social worker with military and trauma-informed experience, the groups will learn techniques in a familiar setting to reduce stigma and improve intermittent practice in their home environment.
Program Overview
The goal of Culinary Connections is to teach culinary skills, nutritional literacy and overall wellness interventions that extend far beyond the classroom, leading to greater independence and quality of life for individuals with different abilities. From our flagship kitchen in the heart of Virginia Beach to our mobile instructional programming integrated inside the community, Culinary Connections is a valuable resource for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD), mental health challenges, substance use disorders, foster care and military connected groups.
Eligibility
Contact
Areas Served
Online Inquiry
Thank you to our sponsors!
Our services rely on the funds and partnerships from community organizations and supporters. Weād like to acknowledge the following for their generous support.
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- New Hanover Community Endowment
- NC Cooperative Extension
- ECU Health
- Chartway Promise Foundation
- Jennifer Lynn Gray Fund of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation
Here’s what people are saying…
Follow Culinary Connections on Facebook!
Facebook Posts
Happy Cinco de Mayo! š²š½
We love exploring all kinds of foods in our classes, but, GUACAMOLEš„ and CORN SALSAš½have been fan favorites. Weāre celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a trip down photo memory lane:
On Thursday, we gathered to celebrate the official GRAND OPENING of Easterseals UCP Teaching Kitchen in #HamptonRoads! As CEO Luanne Hall Welch said, āthis will be a gathering place to build skills & relationships in an environment where everyone belongs!ā. We couldnāt be more excited to start classes next week. Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us and has helped make this project come to life!
Chartway Credit Union Hampton Roads Community Foundation Langley Federal Credit Union Taylor Construction VA FACT Families of Autism Coming Together Tidewater Community College Sentara Health Virginia Autism Foundation Commonwealth Autism VA Ability Center of Virginia Social Butterflies Club Chesapeake Bay Academy Crest Foodservice Equipment Sugar Plum Bakery
Meet STEPHANIE! šš» Stephanie is the Culinary Instructor for our Wilmington area classes. Her enthusiasm for making culinary accessible to all is evident in the way she teaches and cares for her students. Today, she will meet a new group of students for a āRecipe for Independenceā class being held at the NC Cooperative Extension - New Hanover County Center and Arboretum! THANK YOU STEPHANIE for sharing your heart and skills with our community! š
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