Promoting culinary literacy with library kitchens
Many libraries are extending their mission to distribute information and resources by expanding thier offerings to cover food and culinary literacy.
Culinary literacy, a term coined by the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Culinary Literacy Center, is defined as:
Learning about food and cooking (health, nutrition, food preparation skills)
Learning about math, science, history, cultural heritage, and more through cooking.
To accommodate this expansion of programming, many libraries have been adding food preparation spaces to their facilities. These kitchens range all the way from full-on cooking show sets, equipped with culinary-grade kitchens and state of the art audiovisual equipment for live-streaming demonstrations, to simple DIY setups of hots plates and extension cords temporarily set up in a meeting room.
Library kitchens or kitchenettes offer a multitude of benefits:
Easier clean-up after messy activities
Better handwashing and clean up for children
Quicker and more effective cleaning and sterilization of toys (such as plastic building blocks) between programs
Streamlining food service and distribution programs by providing easy access to running water and refrigeration for storing perishable foods
Improving community health with classes and demonstrations about nutrition, budgeting, and other life skills
Supplementing book club programming with book-inspired foods
Celebrate diversity with cultural cuisine programs
Opportunities for unique partnerships with local organizations and businesses, such as food pantries, county extension offices, and grocery stores
Are you considering building a kitchen in your library? Read our “What’s Cooking In Libraries? Designing Kitchens For Libraries” whitepaper for more information on how to get your library kitchen project going.
Library kitchens can be combined with on-site food gardens to create holistic education, sustainability, and food distribution programs. Read our whitepaper “Integrating Outdoor Spaces Into Library Design” for guidance on how to start a library garden.