The Beet Café London – London Bicycle Tours

Something special is happening in children’s education in London.

The city is home to the only food education centre in all of Ontario designed specifically for children and youth. It’s not just a cooking school, and it’s not just a community kitchen. It’s a dedicated, purpose-built space where young people learn where their food comes from, how to prepare it, and why it matters.

A group of 10 year old aspiring chefs sitting down to enjoy the meals they prepared. — Aspiring chefs sit down to enjoy the very meals they prepared.
(Photo credit: Growing Chefs!)

For more than 18 years, Growing Chefs! Ontario, an award-winning local charity, has been quietly changing how young people in London think about food.

The Origin Story

The Growing Chefs! concept did not begin here. It started in Vancouver, where chefs and educators saw a gap in how children understood food. So when Andrew Fleet brought the idea to London, something remarkable happened. The concept took root in a community already rich with agricultural heritage and food traditions.

Executive Director Andrew Fleet in his element, teaching children about food preparation.
(Photo credit: Growing Chefs!)

Since 2008, Growing Chefs! has reached over 120,000 children and youth across the city of London. That is not a small number. That is an entire generation learning to see food differently. What started as an innovative idea has become the province’s leading organization for children’s food education.

What Makes The Growing Chefs! Approach Different

The reason the Growing Chefs! concept works is surprisingly simple. It helps children get excited about learning to enjoy food that is good for them.

Children putting food into a variety of bowls. — For kids, hands-on instruction and getting to eat what they just made is a winning combination.
(Photo credit: Growing Chefs!)

That might sound obvious. But anyone who has tried to convince a child to eat a vegetable knows it’s anything but simple. The Growing Chefs! team has cracked the code. They use hands-on learning. They bring chefs, growers, and educators together. They make cooking fun.

Executive Chef Katherine Jones, teaching a student how to plan a meal using a recipe.
(Photo credit: Growing Chefs!)

Three Locations in London

The headquarters for Growing Chefs! sit at 460 King Street in downtown London.

Growing Chefs headquarters at 460 King Street, a designated heritage building. — 460 King Street is an officially designated heritage building, a designation that protects both its architectural character and its historic role in the community (including its decades as Auberge du Petit Prince, where it had the reputation as one of London’s premier fine-dining destinations).
(Photo credit: Lawrence Durham).

The teaching kitchen at The Grove at Western Fair District, at 900 King Street, provides additional space for programming, along with raised beds for growing plants and all-season greenhouses.

10-year old children being taught by a chef in a commercial grade teaching kitchen. — Children and teens feel valued when they are taught by professional chefs in commercial-grade kitchens.
(Photo credit: Growing Chefs!)

Recently, Growing Chefs! added a third location, an urban farm in the city’s east end with one acre under cultivation.

Children in the urban garden participating in age-appropriate, hands-on learning activities. — At the urban farm, children from city schools participate in hands-on, age-appropriate activities.
(Photo credit: Growing Chefs!)

Together, these three facilities host Ontario’s only dedicated children’s food education centre.

A Tour Through Growing Chefs! Programs

School And Classroom Programs

By now you realize that the goal of Growing Chefs! is to develop food literacy among children, and that is why their school programming is so important. Volunteers and educators deliver hands-on cooking lessons and classroom gardening initiatives in partnership with local schools. Children learn to grow food, prepare it, and understand its journey from farm to table. Thanks to local sponsors like the Western Fair Association, their core in-school programs are offered at zero cost to participating elementary schools, ensuring equal access for all students.

Kindergarten children receiving age-appropriate instruction on fruits and vegetables.
(Photo credit: Growing Chefs!)

For many children, this is the first time they have planted a seed. The first time they have tasted something they grew themselves. The first time they have realized that food does not simply appear on supermarket shelves.

Young children watering plants. — Even little ones love to water plants.
(Photo credit: Growing Chefs!)

Public Culinary Classes

The learning does not stop with school programming. Growing Chefs! offers multi-week youth and beginner cooking programs. Teen classes teach older children more advanced skills. Family classes bring generations together around the stove.

Teens proudly displaying their latest culinary creations. — Under expert guidance, teens eagerly develop life-long skills.
(Photo credit: Growing Chefs!)

The Social Enterprise

To support its main focus on food education, Growing Chefs! runs a Social Enterprise, comprised of two parts:

1) The Beet Café

The Beet Café is a scratch kitchen run by Growing Chefs! that supplies healthy, nut-free meals to children across London. This is where Growing Chefs! moves beyond education and into direct action. By providing sustainable, waste-free hot lunches, it not only feeds children, but it also models what a sustainable food system looks like. Each year, The Beet Café prepares and delivers over 125,000 hot, healthy lunches through its school and camp lunch program.

Male kitchen worker stirs the food in a large pot on a stove top. — Nutritious hot meals feed children at participating schools throughout London, with the proceeds funding its food education programs.
(Photo credit: Growing Chefs!)

2) Its Events & Catering Portfolio

Growing Chefs! provides a full suite of opportunities for food-related activities:

Weddings & Receptions
Team Building & Holiday Parties
Social & Corporate Gatherings
Boardroom Meetings & Conferences
Private Pizza Parties
Monthly Adult Cooking Classes

These events give the broader community access to the venues and the expertise of Growing Chefs!, with all proceeds being used to support the school and classroom programs.

A group of adults preparing a meal in the Growing Chefs kitchen. — Adult cooking classes like this one help support the children’s program.
(Photo credit: Growing Chefs!)

Londonlicious Project

Twice a year, Growing Chefs! proudly presents a culinary festival. Londonlicious celebrates local restaurants, “prix-fixe” menus (French for “fixed price”), and regional farm-to-table storytelling. It is a reminder that good food is not just about nutrition. It’s about community. It’s about celebration. It’s about place.

A large group of people in conversation, gathered around a large table at a restaurant enjoying their meal. — In addition to providing delicious meals for patrons, Londonlicious events help build the food economy and support the local community.
(Photo credit: Growing Chefs!)

The Bigger Picture

Every young person deserves to learn about food. That is the guiding principle behind Growing Chefs! And it is a principle that matters more with each passing year.

Think about what children today are up against. Processed foods are cheaper and more available than ever. Food marketing targets children relentlessly, making it harder and harder for them to connect what they eat every day with where it comes from.

A small child in the cereal aisle of a grocery store holding a cereal box. — Boxes of cereal on display on a grocery store shelf. Some data shows that Canadians reach for ultra-processed options, like cereals, in the morning, when they’re short on time.
(Photo credit: Justin Sullivan).

Growing Chefs! exists to restore that connection. It’s important to help children understand that food is not just fuel. It’s culture. It’s history. It’s community. It’s health. And It’s something they can participate in, not just consume.

Keeping it Local

Growing Chefs! is “FeastON” certified, recognized for an outstanding commitment to sourcing Ontario-grown ingredients and promoting local food systems. This certification is not just a badge; it’s a commitment. When children learn about food at Growing Chefs!, they learn about food that is grown locally, about sustainability, and about the farmers and producers who make our region special.

Two hands are visible, making a toast using FeastON jars. — FeastOn is North America’s largest and longest-running local food certification program.
(Photo credit: Culinary Tourism Alliance).

London’s Food History

London’s role as the home of Ontario’s only children’s food education centre makes historical sense. This region has always been defined by its relationship with food.

The lands around London were once home to Indigenous peoples who practiced sophisticated agriculture. The forests provided game. The rivers provided fish. The soil provided crops. When European settlers arrived, they found some of North America’s most fertile land.

Adult workers tending to a row of vegetables in an urban farm. — Growing Chefs’ urban farm carries on the tradition of farming in southwestern Ontario, where young people come to learn how food is grown. And in the spirit of “Learning to Grow, and Growing to Give,” every month the produce grown on the farm is donated to families in London facing food insecurity.
(Photo credit: Growing Chefs!)

By the 19th century, London was a regional hub for agricultural commerce. The Western Fair, established in 1867, celebrated the bounty of the surrounding countryside. That tradition continues today, and it is fitting that Growing Chefs! operates its teaching kitchen at The Grove at Western Fair District.

The view of the entrance to "the Grove "at the Western Fair District. — In 2019, the Western Fair District repurposed the historic Progress Building at 900 King Street and turned it into a modern business incubator. The Grove is now a leading agri-food and ag-technology innovation hub.
(Photo credit: Lawrence Durham).

Gateway entrance to the Western Fair District, with the large parking lot and buildings in the background. — The gateway to the Western Fair District, a sprawling 85-acre property in London’s Old East Village that generates a total economic footprint of $114.2 million each year within the City of London.
(Photo credit: Lawrence Durham).

The City That Values Food

London’s food scene is vibrant. Local restaurants source from regional producers. Farmers’ markets flourish throughout the warmer months. And at the centre of it all is Growing Chefs! commitment to food education that is unmatched anywhere else in the province.

The indoor farmers' market at Western Fair District. — The indoor farmers’ market at Western Fair District.
(Photo credit: London Tourism).

Vegetable on display at Covent Garden Market.
(Photo credit: Destination Ontario).

Veggies on display at the Masonville Farmers' Market on a late September day. — Veggies on display at the Masonville Farmers’ Market on a late September day.
(Photo credit: Lawrence Durham).

This tells us something important about London. This is a city that invests in the next generation; a city that understands that a healthy community starts with healthy children.

Come And See For Yourself

London is a city that rewards curiosity. The people who built Growing Chefs! did not wait for someone else to solve the problem of food education. They got to work. They built something remarkable. And they have created a legacy that will last for years to come.

Author, Lawrence Durham, standing in front of the Growing Chefs! Education Centre in the Grove with his bicycle. — Author in front of the Growing Chefs! Education Centre in the Grove.
(Photo credit: Lawrence Durham).

Hi. I’m Lawrence – bicycle guide, storyteller, and history nerd. I believe the best way to see a city is from a bicycle seat, of course. At London Bicycle Tours, we help curious folks like you discover the hidden gems of our remarkable city. So please join us for your own guided tour. Click here to learn more! Your next adventure awaits.

Children about 10 years old learning to cook in a commercial style kitchen.

Credit for featured cover photo: Growing Chefs! Ontario.

Tag: The Beet Café London

London Has Ontario’s Only Food Education Centre Designed Specifically For Kids