Cooking Up New Collective Kitchens
In 1985, in the Montreal east-end district of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, three women with limited money and time found themselves unable to properly feed their families. To cut down on costs, they decided to buy their food in bulk and cook together for an afternoon. They found that this was not only economical, but that it was infinitely more enjoyable to cook in the company of friends.
The idea grabbed the attention of others in the neighbourhood, including local nutritionist Diane Norman, who began working to spread the collective cooking concept. Three years later, there were at least 20 collective kitchen groups in community centres around Montreal. In 1990, the groups formed a provincial lobby -- the Regroupement des cuisines collectives du Québec (RCCQ) -- to co-ordinate their activities and share information. Soon after, Norman set out to encourage other Canadian communities to do the same.