Food Bank of the Rockies is teaming up with Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts on a new collaboration, offering culinary students a unique opportunity to make a difference in children’s lives while gaining valuable experience in the kitchen.
As part of this innovative partnership, students will actively participate in volunteer work at Food Bank of the Rockies through externship opportunities. They will engage in training sessions, attend class excursions to learn from the Food Bank’s culinary team about daily operations, and assist in meal preparation in the kitchen.
To mark the launch of the partnership, Michel Escoffier — the great-grandson of Master Chef Auguste Escoffier, the father of modern kitchens, and a National Advisory Board Member at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts — along with Kirk T. Bachmann, President and Provost of Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts’ Boulder Campus, and Chef Richard Jenson, Director of Culinary Operations for the school, joined Executive Chef Jon Knight in Food Bank of the Rockies’ kitchen.
Together, they prepared meals inspired by a classic Auguste Escoffier recipe, using the “kitchen brigade” system invented by Auguste Escoffier. These meals — which included braised chicken, roasted vegetables, and peach melba — were then distributed to children at one of the Food Bank’s 66 after-school meal sites.
“This partnership allows our students to take lessons learned in the classroom and apply them in meaningful ways,” said Bachmann, Escoffier Boulder Campus President and Provost. “It is an honor for us to collaborate with the Food Bank’s culinary team and provide trained, skilled volunteers to create nutritious, flavorful meals for the individuals they serve,” added Bachmann.
The Food Bank anticipates welcoming its first extern from the culinary school by the end of February.
“This marks the initial phase of a long and invaluable partnership. Our aim is to incorporate more from scratch cooking in the kitchen, and for that, we need more trained and skilled volunteers,” stated Jon Knight, Executive Chef at Food Bank of the Rockies. “The support from Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is a unique opportunity that will help advance our mission, enabling us to create more nutritious and kid-tasted and approved meals for the children we serve.”
According to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap report, 1 in 9 kids in Colorado experiences food insecurity. Last year, Food Bank of the Rockies served more than 77,500 kids across its service area. On average, the Food Bank’s culinary staff and volunteers prepare about 1,400 meals for children each day, highlighting the importance of initiatives like this partnership in addressing food insecurity.
WATCH: Fox31 visits Michel Escoffier in the Food Bank of the Rockies kitchen
