This February, Community Kitchen returns to Zoom with some extra oomph! Join Embark Sustainability and the SFSS Women's Centre for a guided discussion about Filipino food, accessing cultural foods in Metro Vancouver, and our relationships to the meals we cook, share, and enjoy. Together we’ll become a barkada of our very own!

The event will include a short presentation on Filipino food and its relationship to:

• Facilitator Desiree and her family
• Filipinos in the diaspora
• Colonization
• Countries (and cuisines!) neighbouring the Philippines.

Whether you prefer listening and learning or chatting and cooking alongside Desiree, this is a great opportunity to reflect on the connections between food and culture. Those who would like to cook along can email programs@embarksustainability.org for grocery support of up to $20.

Embark Sustainability’s work takes place across the unceded homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), kʷikʷəƛw̓əm (Kwikwetlem), q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), Qayqayt, Kwantlen, Semiahmoo, and Tsawwassen Nations. We greatly encourage our community members to reflect on the lands they are tuning in from; learn whose lands you occupy through native-land.ca.

About the facilitator: Desiree Gabriel was born and raised on the unceded and traditional territories of the Musqueam, Kwantlen, Tsawwassen, and Squamish nations, in so-called Richmond, BC. Her parents are both from the Tagalog speaking regions of the Philippines, and typically cooked Filipino food for the family. When Desiree was 17, she became pescatarian/plant based, and disconnected largely from the meat intensive foods she grew up with. Nonetheless, she was lucky enough to grow up in a diverse foodscape, and with friends of numerous cultural backgrounds who would invite her to dinner. All of this, alongside her education spurred her passion for food – leading her eventually into the realms of food justice, cultural food reclamation, and Indigenous food sovereignty. Her work at Embark Sustainability allows her to delve deeper into what food means to community and in relation to environmental/climate/social/racial justice. Her favourite local restaurants include John 3:16, Salmon n Bannock, Kiyabiya, Di Reggae Cafe, and Congee Dynasty!!

EVENT ACCESSIBILITY

We aim to make our events accessible to as many of our community members as possible. If we can take further action to make this event accessible to you, please contact Alea Mohamed at projects@embarksustainability.org.

QUESTIONS

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Alea Mohamed, Embark Sustainability’s Programs Assistant at projects@embarksustainability.org.

COMMUNITY AGREEMENT

This event is hosted with the intention to provide a fun environment for folks to try new recipes and cook together. By registering to attend this event, you are agreeing to be respectful when listening to and communicating with others, and be mindful of the space you are taking up amongst your peers.

Embark Sustainability does not tolerate violence or aggression against others on the basis of race, ethnicity, place of origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or ability. Please also refer to people using the introductions they provide and do not assume pronouns/gender/knowledge based on someone’s name or appearance.

If these agreements are broken by someone, we will have to ensure the safety of our community members by removing them from the event.