In anticipation of the kickoff to the holiday season, the City of Oceanside and O’side Kitchen Collaborative (OKC) will host a free “Holiday Cheft’Overs” event on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 2:00-5:00 p.m. Sponsored by the City of Oceanside, the workshop will teach participants how to repurpose leftovers to make new delicious meals, reduce holiday waste and how to incorporate sustainability into the holiday season. The event will take place at the city’s Green Oceanside Kitchen, located at the El Corazon Senior Center at 3302 Senior Center Drive, Oceanside, CA 92056.
Led by OKC’s CEO Vallie Gilley and the local nonprofit’s award-wining chefs, the zero-waste event will also feature Chef Davin Waite, owner of Wrench and Rodent in Oceanside. Guests will enjoy a cooking demonstration and Q & A with the acclaimed chefs, and have an opportunity to sample their delicious creations. The City of Oceanside will also demonstrate how guests can compost at home and use the rich soil to plant their own fruits and vegetables.
“This is the first of many workshops, cooking classes and events we will host at the Green Oceanside Kitchen,” said Gilley. “Our goal is to raise awareness about food waste and educate the community about ways they can reduce waste in their daily lives through fun, interactive activities.”
In addition to hosting events, the Green Oceanside Kitchen also acts as a state-of-the-art food recovery and preservation facility. One of the most comprehensive facilities of its kind in the nation, the Green Oceanside Kitchen was designed to provide innovative solutions to food waste, hunger, and environmental and culinary education in North San Diego County.
“Currently, about 40% of food produced in the U.S. ends up in landfills, and one in seven adults and one in five children in San Diego County face food insecurity,” said Colleen Foster, the City of Oceanside’s Environmental Officer. “In Oceanside, we think we can do better. Working with OKC, we will fill a significant hole in our food system with the Green Oceanside Kitchen. By providing a location and services to preserve food, reduce waste, feed our community, and provide job training and education, we can become better stewards of the earth.”
The Green Oceanside Kitchen includes a 1,700 square foot commercial kitchen, a 500 square foot freezer that can hold about a semi-truck load of food, and an interactive demonstration kitchen for culinary arts training and education. The facility maximizes food recovery and preservation with specialty equipment installed throughout.
The City of Oceanside owns the Green Oceanside Kitchen and partnered with OKC, a local nonprofit, to operate the kitchen for catering, programming and food rescue. The city and OKC work together to recover agricultural surplus from local farms, growers, and gleaning organizations, with OKC using the City of Oceanside’s facility to transform the produce into delicious cuisine and preserved products, nutritious meals for the food insecure and offer full-service catering for a cause.
The Green Oceanside Kitchen supports a commitment to zero waste, responsible resourcing and climate action management-exemplified in its Green Oceanside campaign, which is dedicated to teaching residents and local businesses how to be more sustainable.
Space for the workshop is limited. To sign up, visit http://bit.ly/Cheftovers, and for more information about Green Oceanside Kitchen, visit www.GreenOceanside.org.
