Fanshawe culinary students donate 30 litres of tomato sauce to The Sharing Shop

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: KERRA SEAY
Juliette Wilde (left) and Gabrielle Marance (right) stand proudly holding a jar of their homemade tomato sauce.

First year culinary students had just learned the intricate steps of canning when professor Bob Murphy had an epiphany on what to do with the surplus of tomato sauce.

“Because of the volume of students that we have, around 80 students coming through the course each week, we have tried to come up with some extra projects for them to do and this was just one of them,” Murphy said.

The sauce was made in the A la Carte Cuisine, a new course this year, which allows first year students to be involved with day-to-day operations of Saffron’s Restaurant and other food service projects.

“It’s all the first year culinary students who have a chance to work in a restaurant where it used to be that they didn’t get into the restaurant until their second year of school,” Murphy said. “[Now] they get to be responsible for the preparation of the lunch menu at Saffron’s Restaurant.”

According to two students in the program, Juliette Wilde and Gabrielle Marance, they find it extremely beneficial and rewarding.

“For me [helping the students is] the best part because you’re contributing to your community and you belong to that community,” Marance said.

Wilde mirrored Marance’s sentiments.

“It’s even better when you can make food for someone who needs it rather than people who are just having fun at a restaurant,” Wilde said.

With the new course and an excess amount of product being made on a weekly basis, Murphy decided it would be a good idea to collaborate with the Sharing Shop, especially given the fact it’s sauce month.

The Sharing Shop, located at B1050, is a service run by student volunteers, which provides students who are in financial need with the basic necessities of life.

According to Amy Romao, administrative support-services with the Fanshawe Student Union (FSU), as well as the co-ordinator of the Sharing Shop, the Sharing Shop takes donations all year round, but has themed months outlining items they need more of. October was sauce month and then November is rice month. She also said collaborations such as this one are incredibly important.

“We are extremely appreciative and excited about this and if this relationship can continue, fantastic, and other areas of the college are always welcome to donate as well,” Romao said. “It’s amazingly beneficial for [culinary students] and students who will be on the receiving end of it.”

Donations can be made to the Sharing Shop in the large blue bins outside the shop at B1050, in F2010 and outside the FSU main office located at SC2012. There are other locations inside each school on campus either in the front lobby or the common lunchroom areas.

The hours for the Sharing Shop are Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but if for some reason the office is not open during the office hours, students can contact Romao at aromao@fanshawec.ca or at 519- 452-4109 ext. 6302.