The recently opened commercial kitchen at the Bridgewater-based Material Institute is eager to fire up the culinary imagination of local students. It will inspire them to cook and eat deliciously! This purpose-built kitchen is just one part of the social enterprise charity’s larger goal of offering food education programs. The program reaches over 30 students weekly. As schools get more plugged in with all that the Material Institute has to offer, we hope to see those numbers increase.
The kitchen will be integral to the charity’s flagship program, 24 Carrot Gardens. Currently, this community-driven program works intensively with 24 schools – predominantly in southern Tasmania. The kitchen is conducting hands-on workshops to teach students through an experiential lens about food preparation and nutrition. In addition to education, these workshops give participants an introduction to future career opportunities in the culinary and hospitality fields.
Purpose-Built for Education
The newly renovated kitchen—including a demonstration and learning space—was purpose-built for educational activities. It’s set up to process a massive amount of produce, such as cherry tomatoes and cucamelons. The students will have the chance to learn from industry professionals, providing them with the practical experience expected of them in a professional kitchen environment.
Kirsha Kaechele, a key player in the development of this initiative, expressed her vision for the space:
“I want them to be inspired. I want them to feel proud, I want them to walk in and say ‘wow’ and then take charge — just take over and run the place.”
Students will deeply explore an immersive field trip installation, all participating in the full experiential seed-to-plate process. They’ll literally pick their food from gardens only a few yards from the kitchen. That real-world experience is designed to improve their cooking skills and spark a lifelong passion for the process.
Expanding Opportunities
The kitchen’s opening is part of a long-term plan by the Material Institute to engage more schools in their educational programs. Amelia Clifford, who has been involved with the project, noted:
“This is the fruition of a long-term plan.”
Here, the goal is not simply to deepen students’ culinary abilities but start to cultivate an ethos of civic involvement. Kaechele remarked on the importance of this unique cooking environment:
“It will expand the students’ skills … by being in a different type of cooking environment. So, professionally set up, engaging with community, serving and supporting.”
By exposing students to various professionals in the culinary field, the kitchen aims to open doors for future career opportunities. Ric de Santi emphasized this potential impact:
“It teaches you skills that hopefully inspires some of the children to look at food and beverage or hospitality careers, of which there’s plenty of opportunity in Tasmania.”
A Vision for the Future
The kitchen’s programming extends beyond the scope of school workshops, including their current lineup of public cooking events. This unique dual purpose greatly increases its long-term value as an accessible community resource. Kaechele highlighted the broader vision behind the initiative:
“The idea is to really lift young people up and give them the opportunity to build real skills — running a business, preparing the food, hospitality, just all aspects of what a café has to offer.”
Students will be able to grow their own food, cook it in a commercial kitchen environment, and then share their culinary creations. This experience, which De Santi called “fabulous,” would be truly transformative for these young learners if they are able to engage with it.
