Defining Our Own Space

At Brainfood, we don’t have rules. “What?” you might be thinking, “No rules? In a kitchen full of students, teachers, volunteers, knives, bubbling pots, and hot ovens?” You heard right, but wait and hear me out. Instead of rules, the Brainfood kitchen is “run” by the Group Expectations document.  So radical! And really so much better.

The Group Expectations document outlines how we want to be together in our space. Everyone at Brainfood– students, volunteers, and teachers – collectively develops this document at the beginning of the year in with the goal of creating a collective space that is safe, welcoming, and fun. While this all sounds great in theory, what does this look like in practice? At Brainfood, how do we create community? Below are five of the Group Expectations that our students have come up with:

1. Teamwork: A successful day at Brainfood is only possible when you collaborate with others. For example, the classes at Chinatown this year have found that using an assembly line to wash, dry and put away dishes is the most efficient way to clean up at the end of class. Whether it’s doing dishes, gathering ingredients, or mastering new cooking techniques, our students find lots of ways that two can be better than one.

2. Be Chill: The Brainfood kitchen is a space filled with energy. Stop and look around: in a single moment one student might be furiously chopping a pile of herbs, another vigorously mixing a bowl of cake batter, and another sautéing a large pan of vegetables. After a long day at school, I’d imagine that this energy can get a little overwhelming! While it’s important to participate and try our best, we’ve also got to make sure we stay calm, cool, and collected. Take a step back and be chill!

          3. Time Management/Be On Time: This is a skill that we’re all working on at Brainfood – teachers, students, and volunteers alike. It’s easy to get distracted in the kitchen by the smells wafting from other groups’ creations or by chatting with your friends about your day. In order to respect each other, we’ve all made a commitment to arrive on time and work efficiently. Recipes can be complex, and conversations like the one’s we’ve had this week about vegan meat substitutes (black bean burgers anybody??), can go on for a while! Nonetheless, we try our best to stay focused and stick to the timing outlined In our agenda.

4. Be Awesome!! (exclamation points included): Sometimes I feel like this one goes without saying, because all of our students are already awesome! They bring an abundance of vibrant energy, excited opinions, and creative suggestions to class every day. We all have those days though, where despite your awesomeness, nothing seems to go your way. When that’s the case, it’s nice to have a reminder that you can be the best you, and that you’ve got others who believe that too!

5. Try new things : This is one of my favorite expectations, and a student favorite as well. Hardly a day goes by at Brainfood where we don’t make something that’s new or unfamiliar for students. How about vegan cupcakes? Or whole wheat pizza topped with fruit? These ideas can sound crazy at first, but when you embrace them, they can also be fun and exciting!

By each identifying an expectation to focus on during class, we create community. By being intentional in our behavior at Brainfood, we create a supportive atmosphere where we can be creative and put ourselves out there. Sounds like a pretty good place to be, huh? Try setting an expectation for your day, and see if you get something new out of it!