Seasoned Spoon celebrates its 15th anniversary on March 9

Trent University's non-profit cooperative café opened in 2003 following grassroots act of student resistance

By kawarthaNOW -
Published
The Seasoned Spoon Café, Trent University's non-profit and cooperative vegetarian café at Champlaign College, celebrates its 15th anniversary with a full day of activities and food on March 9, 2018. (Photo courtesy of The Seasoned Spoon Café)
The Seasoned Spoon Café, Trent University's non-profit and cooperative vegetarian café at Champlaign College, celebrates its 15th anniversary with a full day of activities and food on March 9, 2018. (Photo courtesy of The Seasoned Spoon Café)

Seasoned Spoon, Trent University’s non-profit and cooperative vegetarian café at Champlaign College, is celebrating its 15th anniversary on Friday, March 9th with a full day of workshops, demonstrations, discussions, and food.

“It’s incredible to think we have already come this far on our journey as an organization and an inspiring moment in time to pause and look back at everything that has been built along the way,” says Seasoned Spoon general manager Aimee Blyth.

“We are extremely grateful for the support we have received over the years, and look forward to celebrating with our extended Spoon family.”

In 2002, a group of students began offering locally sourced organic soup by donation to challenge the food service monopoly at Trent University. The Seasoned Spoon Café was launched in 2003 as a non-profit cooperative and today operates five days a week with 17 staff and dozens of volunteers and more than 400 cooperative members. (Photo courtesy of The Seasoned Spoon Café)
In 2002, a group of students began offering locally sourced organic soup by donation to challenge the food service monopoly at Trent University. The Seasoned Spoon Café was launched in 2003 as a non-profit cooperative and today operates five days a week with 17 staff and dozens of volunteers and more than 400 cooperative members. (Photo courtesy of The Seasoned Spoon Café)

Seasoned Spoon evolved from a grassroots act of resistance in 2002, when the Peterborough chapter of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) — a campus-based student organization fighting for social and environmental justice — launched a Stone Soup project through its Food Issues Group.

Aimee Blyth, general manager of The Seasoned Spoon Café. The cooperative is governed by an elected board of directors comprising Trent students, two faculty/staff representatives, and two community representatives. (Photo courtesy of The Seasoned Spoon Café)
Aimee Blyth, general manager of The Seasoned Spoon Café. The cooperative is governed by an elected board of directors comprising Trent students, two faculty/staff representatives, and two community representatives. (Photo courtesy of The Seasoned Spoon Café)

Challenging the food service monopoly at Trent held by Aramark (an American corporation that supplies food services to educational, health care, and correctional facilities), student volunteers began serving locally sourced organic soup by donation every other week.

Eventually, the project elected a board of directors and created the Seasoned Spoon Café, which officially opened on February 25, 2003 in the Cat’s Ass Pub in Otonabee College. In 2009, the café relocated to its current location in Champlain College on the west bank of Trent University.

Today, the café is open five days a week with 17 staff, dozens of volunteers, and more than 400 cooperative members. It serves hundreds of affordable local meals every day, offers educational programming, and has cultivated relationships with a network of members, volunteers, eaters, growers, and good food advocates.

The Seasoned Spoon Café will mark its 15th anniversary with a full day of festivities on Friday, March 9th. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the café, there will be workshops, a collaborative art installation, spoon carving, root cellar tours, and soup (by donation, of course). From 5 to 8:30 p.m., celebrations will move to the Great Hall for a community feast, story sharing, and a panel discussion.

All activities will be offered by donation and everyone is welcome to all events. Registration is required for dinner only.

For more information about the Seasoned Spoon Café, visit www.seasonedspoon.ca. A full schedule of events on March 9th can be found on Seasoned Spoon’s Facebook page.

As well as offering healthy and locally sourced food, The Seasoned Spoon Café also hosts educational programming including regular workshops. (Photo courtesy of The Seasoned Spoon Café)
As well as offering healthy and locally sourced food, The Seasoned Spoon Café also hosts educational programming including regular workshops. (Photo courtesy of The Seasoned Spoon Café)

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