There has been a growing demand in the Comox Valley for LUSH Valley’s Food Access programs.
This week, the Hot Meal program expanded service to Mondays and Thursdays, serving and delivering up to 150 meals per day. Next week, LUSH Valley is launching a twelve-week Good Food Box service for 70 households on the waitlist.
“We are seeing an increasing need for both the Good Food Box and Hot Meal programs, so we have had to be increasingly creative about how we fund and run these programs,” says LUSH Valley’s executive director, Maurita Prato.
With revenue from donations, community partnerships, catering and events, LUSH Valley hopes to continue to expand the Hot Meal program. The first order of business was hiring a full-time chef.
Chef Taylore Darnel’s goal is to “create food that transcends language and feeds people’s souls as well as their bellies.” She has been working solely out of the Farmer’s Kitchen Food Truck while LUSH Valley builds a commercial kitchen onsite.
Throughout the summer, Darnel has been developing a variety of menus for events at 40 Knots Winery. She and the Farmer’s Kitchen will be back on July 20 from 5 to 8 p.m. To reserve a table, visit https://www.40knotswinery.com/Experiences/Events-Calendar.
On Sept. 18, Darnel and the Farmer’s Kitchen Food Truck will be rolling over to Amara Farm for LUSH Valley’s second annual Farm-to-Table Fundraiser.
Both the lunch and dinner seating promise to delight taste buds with a series of dishes highlighting the rich, abundant flavours of the Comox Valley. Proceeds from the event will support LUSH Valley’s Food Access Programs, specifically Hot Meal and Good Food Box.
To purchase tickets, visit www.lushvalley.org/events.
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