Trained chef Hans Kervezee had originally planned to open a restaurant in the ethnically-mixed Agniesebuurt area of north Rotterdam but he noticed there were a lot of kids hanging around the streets with nothing to do, with the potential for getting into trouble. He wondered if he could get them interested in cooking, so he changed his plans and spent his money on creating an open kitchen for use by the community.
Pretty soon he had dozens of kids wanting to learn how to cook. In particular he had many boys who became so enthusiastic they would race home from school to get a prime position in the kitchen.
Now every year 180 primary school pupils in groups 7 and 8 take part in a varied programme consisting of cooking lessons, tastings, field trips to organic farms, e-learning facilities and local community dinners.”
Mr Keveze realised that food should be, and has been in the past, an important medium for binding communities and generations together and for connecting them with strangers. At least in northern Europe, though, these qualities have been sacrificed in pursuit of speed, efficiency and profit.
Before long parents were taking an interest too and this developed into a series of community meals where adult neighbours got to know each other better.
Then Hans became interested in the idea of the community producing its own food, rather than buying everything from the supermarket, and so was born the project Oogst met mij mee (Harvest with Me). He noticed that within the neighbourhood each block of housing had a courtyeard which was generally abandoned and strewn with litter. So a previously neglected plot of land located between four block of flats at Vijverhofstraat, was cleaned up and transformed into a community garden. Children helped out with sowing, growing and harvesting various vegetables and edible flowers, and learned all about sustainable city gardening in the process.
