Growing Chefs, a local Vancouver organization that educates children about sustainable food systems as well as how to grow and cook healthy food, runs two important programs locally: LunchLAB and the Classroom Gardening & Cooking program. LunchLAB, in collaboration with Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society, is an innovative school lunch program currently in five Vancouver-based schools. Growing Chefs also facilitates in-classroom lessons, bringing all necessary materials and ingredients to teach students about growing and cooking healthy food. Applications for the 2025/2026 season of the Classroom Gardening & Cooking program are now open. We chatted with Dana Liem, the Growing Chefs Programs & Operations Manager, to learn more about these initiatives.
Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.
Growing Chefs is where kids’ connection to food takes root.
At LunchLAB—our innovative school food program—rotating cohorts of students are mentored by Chefs-in-Residence to cook, serve, and share nourishing lunches three times weekly for up to 200 of their peers. LunchLAB brings fresh, nutritious meals to students while teaching them about food, cooking, and sustainability. It’s all about building food skills, fostering a love for fresh ingredients, and creating a sense of community around the table.
In our Classroom Gardening & Cooking Program, kids engage in the whole food cycle from seed to plate to compost. Our professional chef team inspires kids to explore fruits and veggies, try new flavours, and learn how food is grown and prepared. It’s amazing to see kids light up when they discover they can make something delicious with their own hands.
What problem does it aim to solve?
Our programs aim to solve two major problems: food insecurity and a lack of food literacy among youth.
In many schools, students don’t have access to fresh, nourishing meals, and they often don’t know where their food comes from or how to prepare it. LunchLAB addresses this by providing nutritious meals, while our Classroom Program gives students hands-on experience with fresh ingredients, teaching them essential food skills and the joy of cooking. It’s about making healthy eating accessible, fun, and empowering for kids.
When did you start/join it?
Growing Chefs is celebrating our 20th anniversary this year, and I started with LunchLAB in September 2022.
What made you want to get involved?
I first got involved with LunchLAB because I wanted to volunteer—two of my three kids went to Lord Roberts, the very first LunchLAB school—so it felt like a perfect fit. At first, I just wanted to help out, but with my background in food and operations for a large multisite company, I quickly realized I could offer more.
What started as a way to give back turned into something much bigger. I saw the incredible impact LunchLAB had, not just feeding kids, but teaching them to cook, to care about where their food comes from, and to support each other. I knew I could help with expansion and growth, making sure even more students could experience that same connection to food and community.
What was the situation like when you started?
When I first got involved with LunchLAB, it was still a relatively small program. LunchLAB was operating at Lord Roberts, and while the idea was strong—bringing fresh, nutritious meals to students while teaching them cooking skills—there were a lot of logistics to figure out.
The team was passionate but small, and slowly, we figured out how to make the program sustainable, how to expand to other schools, and how to manage everything from volunteer recruitment to logistics so we could replicate it in other schools. It was a bit of a whirlwind at first, but seeing it take shape and grow has been incredibly rewarding.
How has it changed since?
Since I first got involved, LunchLAB has grown in ways I couldn’t have imagined. What started as a single school program at Lord Roberts has expanded to five schools, reaching hundreds of students each year. We’ve gone from figuring out basic logistics to running a well-organized program that not only provides fresh, nutritious meals but also empowers kids to become student chefs themselves.
We’ve also deepened our focus on sustainability, partnering with organizations like Odd Bunch to rescue surplus produce and teaching students about food waste.
What more needs to be done?
There’s still so much more we can do! While we’ve expanded LunchLAB and the Classroom Program to reach more students, there are still many schools where kids don’t have access to fresh, nutritious meals or hands-on food education. Expanding our reach is a big priority, especially making sure we can bring this experience to schools that need it most.
Ultimately, I’d love to see LunchLAB become something that every school can access—a program that feeds kids, teaches them, and brings them together.
How can our readers help?
Volunteer! Donate! Follow us on social media and help spread the word.
Do you have any events coming up?
Our 15th From Farms to Forks gala fundraiser is coming up on October 5th, 2025. Chefs are paired with local farmers and food producers to create mouth-watering tasting plates celebrating the fall harvest. More about From Farms to Forks here!
Where can we follow you?
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
Food Stash is an amazing local charity that rescues food that would have been wasted and redistributes it to those who need it most. They collect more than 130,000 pounds of food per month, deliver to 45 charity partners, distribute Rescued Food Boxes to 112 households, and operate a weekly Rescued Food Market.
