Fwd: [UCSBADVS] Free Culinary Resistance Workshop Program for Food-Insecure UCSB Students (Spring 2026)

[Undergrad Advising Global Studies]

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: <alexis...@umail.ucsb.edu>
Date: Fri, Mar 6, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Subject: [UCSBADVS] Free Culinary Resistance Workshop Program for Food-Insecure UCSB Students (Spring 2026)
To:
Cc: Stella Cosgrove <stellac...@ucsb.edu>

Good afternoon!

I’m reaching out to share an exciting new student-led initiative and would be grateful if you could pass this email along to any students who might be interested.

My project team and I are pursuing a capstone project under the Environmental Leadership Incubator program. The project is a six-week food security workshop where we collaborate with both the campus and off-campus communities to work toward achieving food sovereignty.

Our Culinary Resistance Workshop is a program designed specifically for EBT-eligible and food-insecure UCSB students. This project was developed by Alexis Velasco (myself) and Stella Cosgrove, who both understand what food insecurity looks and feels like through our experiences as students at the university. As student leaders, we designed this project to work with four peers and center the perspectives of food-insecure students on campus. Our goal is to bring food justice into the spotlight while allowing students to build culinary skills and develop more sustainable consumption practices. The project highlights peer-driven environmental leadership and community engagement within the Isla Vista community.

Program Details:

Location: St. George YMCA, Isla Vista
Time: Tuesdays, 5:00–6:30 PM
Spring 2026 Dates:
April 7, 14, 28
May 5, 12, 19

In partnership with Apples to Zucchini Cooking School and the St. George YMCA, the workshop bridges the gap between food access and culinary literacy. Participants will learn how to transform affordable staples (including “slow-moving” inventory from the AS Food Bank) into healthy, chef-quality meals.

We are also collaborating with food justice organizations such as Edible Campus, AS Food Bank, and local Food Hubs to connect students with long-term food security resources.

Each 90-minute session includes:

• A brief educational talk

• Hands-on cooking instruction with local, organic, and fresh produce/ ingredients

• A shared community dinner

• Group cleanup

The program is free for selected participants. All ingredients and professional equipment are provided.

Menu Items from Scratch 

• Hummus 
• Tabbouleh
• Falafel
• Spring Rolls w/ Tahini, Peanut, and Nước Chấm Dipping Sauce
• Sweet Potato Chili
• Skillet Cornbread
• Fish Tacos w/ Crunchy Slaw
• Flower Ratatouille
• Crêpes 

The application process is a Google Form scannable on the flier I've attached below. I would appreciate it if you could send out the flier with any additional information I added to any students you might think will benefit from this program. 

Outreach

If you have any questions regarding this workshop series, please feel free to contact our project team for further information:

Project Leaders

Alexis Velasco: alexis...@ucsb.edu

Stella Cosgrove: stellac...@ucsb.edu

Project Chefs

Nancy Martz: na...@atozcookingschool.org

Pria Richard: pr...@atozcookingschool.org

Thank you for your time!

 Kindly,

Alexis Velasco