Welcome back!
This month's newsletter explores kai at BGI.
On the menu first, an update from Michael, our in-house foodie:
To us, food is central – a way to practise manaakitanga (hospitality), kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the environment), and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination). Together, our Community Kitchen, garden, and orchard form the beating heart of BGI – warm, vibrant spaces that foster connection and nourish our rangatahi, whānau, and wider community.
Our kitchen crew has been enjoying the last of the winter meals, with stews, roasts and boil-ups being the highlight this October. Meanwhile, the community garden is bursting with lots of leafy greens, and the first artichokes are out. In the orchard, trees are blossoming, and the first figs have set - which bodes well for a bountiful harvest in the summer/autumn.
Rangatahi in school programmes and Te Whare Taiohi (BGI school) have been learning to cook and sharing their creations with staff and BGI volunteers. At the same time, the BGI kitchen continues to feed our rangatahi across our programmes, demonstrating the power of manaakitanga by sharing, serving, and inspiring the community to embrace zero food waste principles.
BGI continues to pick up rescued kai from Kaibosh, for which we are extremely grateful. Bananas have been arriving in abundance, inspiring dehydrating bananas and baking in the kitchen. It’s a great reminder that creativity in the kitchen starts with making the most of what we’ve got.
We hope you enjoy some tasty kai with friends, whānau, or someone special this month.
