Across the state, the Foodbank is sharing recipes and cooking demonstrations with visitors at fresh produce distributions. Together, we’re making sure more people in Vermont can bring home the fresh food they want and need, along with information on how to prepare and enjoy it.
Things were heating up outside BROC Community Action Center—one of Vermont Foodbank’s 353 partner organizations—in Rutland, though the brilliant sun had little to do with it.
“Woooh that’s spicy,” a man says, waving his hand in front of his mouth.
Just outside the food shelf and community center, Foodbank staff member and VT Fresh team member Meg set up a cooking demonstration and sampling. The recipe for the day: Micro-Greens, Zhug Yogurt Sauce, and Roasted Chickpeas on Pita, and the gathering crowd was happy to give the unique recipe a try.
“This is the first time I’ve ever tried [chickpeas], they’re not bad,” says Bam, a Rutland resident visiting BROC that day. “Normally I don’t eat vegetables…when I was little my parents, we had a garden, we used to feed like the whole neighborhood, and I grew up not liking them because I had to work in the garden all the time.”
After crossing paths with Meg, that could change.
“But I like that; that was good though,” Bam says with a laugh.
Behind her, Meg walks onlookers through the steps to make the simple dish. A trained chef and natural people-person, Meg laughs, jokes, and carries on conversations while roasting chickpeas, mixing up the zhug yogurt sauce, and assembling the final pita samples. The ingredients—many of them local— are all available at no cost to visitors that day, thanks to support from donors like you.
Bam says she comes down to BROC “when things start getting tough.” She’s never been on a day when a cooking demonstration was happening, but she’s enjoying it.
“I like it because I can see what goes in the food,” she says. “It’s nice and clean and [Meg’s] got a positive attitude!”
A steady stream of folks stop, munch, and ask for details about the dish. One recurring question: what’s zhug? The answer: a spicy sauce from Yemen that blends cilantro, parsley, lemon, garlic, and jalapeno peppers.
For Meg, connecting with people and sharing her passion for cooking and food is what she enjoys best about Foodbank cooking demonstrations. She develops recipes for each event based on what’s going to be available to people and what she’s excited about.
Meg says in her experience, most people who sample the dishes at cooking demos decide that the fruit or vegetable being featured is something they’ll eat more of in the future. But the recipes don’t have to be fancy to get that reaction.
“I believe even the simplest recipes are made better when seasoned with love,” Meg says, while gently pushing chickpeas around in the frying pan. “Cooking demonstrations allow me the privilege of sharing the love.”
Denise is the manager at Sid’s Pantry, one of the 220+ food shelves and meal sites that make up the Vermont Foodbank network. In between visits from neighbors picking up food, Denise talks about how her own experiences with food insecurity influence the ways she supports her community.
Vermont experienced catastrophic floods in July and December 2023 that damaged homes, businesses, and infrastructure across the state. In 2024, the state experienced flooding again. Here’s how recent flooding[...]
In Bennington and Rutland counties, BROC Community Action has developed programs to make it easier for neighbors to put together nourishing holiday meals. Turkey tickets, a Holiday Shop, and creative thinking are filling pantries this holiday season thanks to help from you.
