About Cooking Therapy

PhotoGrid_1498331666326_19 Cooking Therapy is a way for people to experience a heightened relationship with each other through food. Its benefits are rich and delicious, and include self-esteem building, enhancing brain development, and helping couples connect on a deeper interpersonal level. We utilize cooking as the means of communication and expression.

The focus is on socializing & communicating, learning to cook together, learning about food, the health benefits of food, how to shop for food together, how food affects your mood and the results; eating together as a couple and the satisfaction of having created a meal while effectively working on your relationship.

“Cooking has therapeutic value physically, cognitively, socially and interpersonally. Physically, cooking requires good movement in shoulders, fingers, wrists, elbow, neck, as well as good overall balance. Adequate muscle strength is needed in upper limbs for lifting, mixing, cutting and chopping. Furthermore, sensory awareness is important in considering safety while dealing with hot and sharp objects.” This is the therapeutic value noted by the University of Alberta.(Esmail, Shaniff. Occth 209 Lecture Manual, 1997. University of Alberta: Edmonton)

Cooking can provide comfort. It can also add a romantic quality to relationships. It can also create a nostalgic moment. People experience life through the senses. The more we use our senses, the more they mature and help us fully integrate into life. Stimulating the five senses leads to great brain development. Making use of our senses is how we exercise our brains. Cooking Therapy makes use of our ability for touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. All of these senses get a workout in the kitchen. The ingredients and tools all get touched when they are worked with. The sounds of the chopping and mixing are absorbed along with the aromas and flavors.

There are many benefits of Cooking Therapy, including:

Gaining insight into one’s/each other’s behavior
Learning about social skills/ cues
Increased awareness about health and nutrition
Improved communication skills
Stress management

Participants also learn a life skill that they will forever carry with them.They learn fine motor skills, and time management. But most importantly, they learn to work together as a couple.

Food has a lot of meaning culturally, ethnically, religiously and it brings people together whether it is baking, cooking a meal, shopping for the food and certainly sitting down together and socializing.

FOOD is LOVE! When you share a meal you are spreading LOVE! So come take a seat at my table & feast upon my goodies!!!~ Chef Kami Redd