ALMOST three years since first announcing the Jamie's Ministry of Food Mobile Kitchen would head to Ararat, the kitchen on wheels will finally roll into Ararat this year.
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The Mobile Kitchen will be located in the Healthy Together Grampians Goldfields area from April to June this year, and will arrive in Ararat on May 27 for five weeks.
Ararat Rural City Council's manager community development and client services Angela Hunt reported to Council on the progress of the program coming to Ararat.
In Victoria, 62.6 per cent of adults are overweight or obese, as are close to 25 per cent of children.
"Obesity is a complex issue caused by multiple factors, many of which are beyond an individual's control," Ms Hunt said in the report.
"To meet the challenge of obesity, Healthy Together Victoria's complex systems approach to prevention is delivering multiple strategies, policies and initiatives at both the state and local levels to target Victorians where they live, learn, work and play - including schools, early childhood services and medium and large workplaces and the wider community.
"Jamie's Ministry of Food Mobile Kitchen is one of the Healthy Together Victoria strategies funded to visit each of the 12 Healthy Together Communities.
"Jamie's Ministry of Food aims to educate, empower and inspire people to love and enjoy good food, through learning how to cook."
The Jamie's Ministry of Food Mobile Kitchen is a purpose built facility providing a welcoming environment to conduct hands on experience and skill development through a basic cooking course.
It is equipped with domestic grade appliances and training is provided by professional cookery teachers. It will be arriving in Ararat on Monday May 25 and a cycle of five weeks of 90 minute classes will commence on Wednesday May 27.
Courses are available across seven days including evenings and 23 classes are available each week.
The Mobile Kitchen will be located in the rear car park area adjacent to the Ararat Regional Library.
Jamie's Ministry of Food is open to everyone over the age of 12.
It is focused on groups at high risk of developing chronic disease including vulnerable individuals, families on low incomes, single parents, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, young people, people with a disability and the unemployed.
Opportunities for local community organisations that support these groups are invited to be involved prior to the opening of bookings to the public.
The course runs for five weeks with participants attending at the same time, every week, for five weeks. There are a maximum of 12 participants per class and class fees are $10 per class or $5 concession.
One volunteer from the local community supports the delivery of each class as part of the program and these volunteers must be over 16 years of age and commit two hours per week to the same class for the five weeks and attend a mandatory induction session.
"Healthy Together Grampians Goldfields will be working with partners and local stakeholders to leverage opportunities for the community to inspire behavioural change through improved cooking and eating practices," Ms Hunt said.
"Jamie's Ministry of Food Mobile Kitchen provides an opportunity to increase people's awareness about the importance of healthy eating and build capacity."