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WESTPORT, Conn. The Westport Farmers Market has teamed this school year with Staples High School students and the Gillespie Center to serve up monthly meals. On Friday, Dec. 9, the students cooked a winter meal at the center, using local ingredients mostly purchased by the students at the market.
By creating this ongoing event where once a month we shop for local and healthy food at the market, says market Director Lori Cochran-Dougall, and then take the ingredients to Chef Cecily Gans and her students to prepare and help serve, we help our community members in need by sharing a local and healthy meal.
Gans is the instructor for Staple's culinary arts program.
Last week, the crew created a menu of beef and root vegetable stew, braised greens with onions and garlic, roasted potatoes with fresh herbs, caramelized onion and rosemary focaccia and apple-ginger oatmeal crisp. The Westport Sunrise Rotary provides the funds for the shopping. The Staples PTA donates cash for other items such as oil and vinegar. Once the food is purchased, the students head over to Gillespie and get cooking.
In November, the students were recognized for their community efforts by state Sen. Toni Boucher and state Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, as well as MSG Varsity and Cablevisions education initiative, "Power to Learn." At that time, Gans praised the program as one that will enable the students of Staples High School to learn from all members of the Westport community, including residents at the Gillespie Center.
The Gillespie Center feeds local men, women in children in need on a daily basis. Often, the meals people enjoy at the center are the only cooked meals they have in a day.
The next student-prepared dinner at the center is scheduled for January.
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