Peruvian Cooking with Andean Flavour

On Friday, October 17, I successfully hosted an online Peruvian cooking class for my neighbours in New Westminster. The main goal of this project was to encourage neighbours in my building to learn an easy yet delicious recipe from my country, Peru, and to connect through food.
Although the invitation was initially shared with residents of my building, I also posted it in a Facebook group. As a result, I received interest from neighbours in other areas of NW, whom I was happy to welcome.
I have previously taught Peruvian cooking classes, and participants have always been excited to learn something new and flavorful. Many had asked when the next class would take place. For this session, I had participants from different cultural backgrounds. A total of 11 people joined the class online, benefiting approximately 48 people in total (11 families).
I invited a friend who led the class, and the session flowed naturally in a fun and engaging way. I was very happy to see neighbours connecting, learning, and enjoying Peruvian gastronomy, which I am very proud to share.
After the class, several participants sent me thank-you messages and photos of their finished dishes. They shared that the meal was very well received by their families and that they planned to prepare it again for future gatherings. Additionally, through a collaboration with a local Latin store in New Westminster, I was able to provide participants with a discount code to purchase some of the ingredients in the future.
Since the class, I have run into some of the participants in the neighbourhood. They greet me warmly and often ask when the next Peruvian cooking class will be held.
Thanks to the NW Neighbourhood Small Grants program and the Vancouver Foundation, I was able to carry out this project successfully, connecting with neighbours, sharing laughter, exchanging information about our city, and proudly sharing a piece of my country of origin.