The Stop Community Food Centre

🎓🍽 Big congratulations to the latest graduates of our Men’s Cooking Group! Over the winter, the group met every Monday evening to build practical cooking skills, explore global cuisines, and prepare healthy, affordable meals together. Part of our Community Kitchens program, the group offers more than just recipes—it’s a space to learn, connect, and build confidence in the kitchen. Everyone deserves access to good food—and the skills to prepare it.

Last week, our community chefs and superstar volunteers prepared an unforgettable lunch: chana masala, kerala chicken curry, achari paneer, kachumber salad, and raita – all made with 100% Ontario-grown produce❣️💚 Being a certified partner of 100km Foods Inc. means we are connected to a network of local farmers and Ontario-grown products. Our chefs take the time to understand the stories behind the ingredients they source, and whenever possible, they prioritize supporting local farms. Using fresh, hyper-local, and high-quality ingredients in our drop-in meals is our small way of supporting a more sustainable and connected food system. 🫶 #100kmfoods #ontarioag #sustainable #buycanadian #buylocal #shoplocal

One thing about Rawan: she knows how to decorate a mean cake. For Cozy Kitchen’s Christmas Gala, she topped a rich chocolate buttercream cake with fresh mint, orange slices, berries, and pomegranate—and served it alongside a nostalgic classic: broken glass jello made with fruity gelatin and condensed milk. To good food and great company. 🥂💚

Last weekend marked 10 Metre Greens’ final Saturday at the market—going out as both an MVP and a VIP. 🏆 Over the winter, the team grew and harvested 105kg of fresh, organic microgreens just steps from the stall, offering zesty arugula, crisp sunflower shoots, radish, lentil sprouts, and more. 🌱 This season, with an expanded lineup of weekly herbs and seedlings like oregano, lemon balm, and tulsi, we brought even more flavour to the table. Thanks for supporting hyper-local food and helping us grow something good. 💚 Stay tuned—special market pop-ups are coming very, very soon! 👀

We are proud to be a certified 100km Partner. 💚 Partnering with 100km Foods Inc. means we get to support a network of local farmers and producers who care about good food as much as we do. It means we can serve meals—like the handmade salmon pies at our recent General Meeting—using quality ingredients from local Ontario producers like Springhills Fish. It means we’re helping shape a food system rooted in dignity, sustainability, and community. We’re so grateful for this partnership—and for the incredible farmers, producers, and food lovers who make it all possible❣️

This past Family Day, we celebrated community with a bit of fun: a take-home cookie kit and contest for our Healthy Beginnings families. 🍪 Tuesdays at our Davenport headquarters, the program offers participants workshops, nutritious meals, childcare, and food hampers. It's our fav day of the week, tbh. 💛 For many newcomers, pregnancy can be an isolating time. At The Stop, we work to reduce those barriers—by building connection and making critical health information accessible to all.

We’ve been enjoying colourful, nourishing meals at The Stop lately. 💚 Like this flatbread mushroom pizza with fresh spring greens—made by our amazing volunteers. Here’s something you might not know: nearly all of the 70,000+ meals we served last year were different, crafted with care by our chefs and volunteers using fresh, seasonal ingredients. Shared meals = stronger communities❣️

Food justice is built and sustained by those who plant, cook, advocate, and care for their communities. Today, on #InternationalWomensDay, we honor the women, queer women, gender-diverse folks, and femmes at The Stop and beyond. We see you, we appreciate you, and we stand with you. 💜 #IWD #FoodJustice

Photos don’t do these cakes justice! To celebrate last week's annual general meeting, our community kitchens assistant and resident cake expert, Rawan, prepared two exceptional desserts: 🍊 Spicy Orange Chocolate Cake – A rich dark chocolate cake infused with zesty orange and warm spices, layered with whipped chocolate ganache and topped with candied orange slices. 🍋 Lemon Rosemary Cake – Bright, tangy lemon cake with raspberry curd, balanced by aromatic rosemary and finished with a lemony white chocolate ganache. :)

🌱 Community starts with you. The Stop runs on the generosity and passion of our volunteers. Whether you’re looking to connect with others, share your skills, or learn about urban farming and farmers' markets, there’s a place for you here. Helena Pamic, our Senior Volunteer Coordinator, breaks down everything you need to know about getting involved, and why our volunteers keep coming back. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gTRnBsrc Pull up a chair. We’ve saved you a seat at our table. ❤️