May 5: German Pool x THEI Introduction to Care Food and Cooking Demonstration Workshop🧑‍🍳🍳

Happy Kitchen, a German Pool-owned restaurant chain, is committed to promoting the important concepts of care food and inclusive eating❤️. We hope to go into the community and make cooking not just a skill, but a lifestyle that connects the elderly, caregivers, and people with different abilities. This time, we collaborated with the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi) to hold the "Farm to Table Little Pioneer" project, which was specially held at the Tsing Yi Neighbourhood Elderly Centre. We invited elderly people, caregivers, and SEN students from the community to participate, allowing participants from different backgrounds and abilities to step into the kitchen together and truly practice the concept of inclusive cooking and "eating together at the same table".

The activity began with a lecture by a professional speech therapist on the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI). Through theory and on-site demonstrations, participants learned about the different textures of meals and their safe application, enhancing their professional understanding of care nutrition. Following this, THEi students demonstrated care meals and participated in the preparation of dishes with SEN students, including pumpkin soup, chocolate mousse pudding, and Italian rose sauce chicken risotto. From ingredient preparation and cooking to plating, participants experienced firsthand how to transform everyday ingredients into refined meals suitable for people with swallowing difficulties, demonstrating a high level of engagement and teamwork throughout the process🤝.

The most important part of the event was the meal shared by seniors, caregivers, SEN students, and participants. This allowed them to experience the inclusive atmosphere of "eating together at the same table" in a real community setting, bringing care-care nutrition from concept to everyday life. Through this "Farm to Table Little Pioneer" project, Happy Kitchen truly put its "Community Happy Kitchen" concept into practice, extending the promotion of care-care nutrition from the school to the community level💛🏘️. The participation of SEN students highlighted the value of inclusive learning and practice. In the future, German Pool will continue to hold similar events, allowing different communities to learn, collaborate, and share happily in the kitchen, realizing a warmer culture of "eating together at the same table."