The Durham College Harvest Dinner brought students, employees and guests together at the Whitby campus for an outdoor meal built around hands-on learning and local food.
The college published its account of the annual event on Monday, September 28. The dinner took place September 24 at the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, where students helped grow, harvest, prepare and serve the food.
Students in the Horticulture Technician and Food and Farming programs worked with ingredients grown in the centre’s fields. Culinary Skills and Hospitality Skills students then prepared and served the meal with guidance from faculty members.
From the field to the table
Durham College describes the event through a field-to-fork-to-field approach. The model connects food production and meal preparation with returning nutrients to the soil, giving students experience with several stages of a food system.
Students took responsibility for work in the fields, kitchens and dining area. The college said the dinner allowed them to apply classroom skills in a working event while collaborating with faculty members, employees and industry professionals.
College president Dr. Elaine Popp said the dinner brings together fields, kitchens and classrooms. She described the event as an example of learning connected to community and the land, and said the work helps students build skills for careers in food, farming and hospitality.
Annual dinner emphasizes sustainability
The college said the dinner also demonstrated its environmental sustainability goals. Students could see how growing ingredients, preparing food and managing soil health fit together instead of treating those activities as separate lessons.
The outdoor event was supported by Feast On, Gervais Party & Tent Rentals, Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery, Leaf, The Rustic Board and Selbie’s Select Produce. Durham College said those contributions helped students connect their education with local partners and industry experience.
For students, the evening involved teamwork, service and real-world responsibility in addition to technical food and horticulture skills. Guests saw the result in a dinner prepared from ingredients connected to the campus growing program.
The Durham College Harvest Dinner is one of the Whitby campus traditions centred on the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food and its food, farming, culinary and hospitality programs.
