Cooking Matters Maine
Courses are free to participants and host sites.
Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters Maine program provides Mainers with hands-on cooking and nutrition classes led by volunteer chefs and nutritionists. These 4-6 week courses are free to participants and host sites and are available in all 16 counties through partnerships with Maine SNAP-Ed.
If you are interested in participating in Cooking Matters or learning more about hosting a Cooking Matters class in your area, please contact Denise Gaudette, Cooking Matters Manager at Good Shepherd Food Bank, dgaudette@gsfb.org or (207) 782-3554 X1129.
Nutritious knowledge for all
Learn new cooking methods, better eating habits, and mindful meal preparation.
Families
Come together with your kids in the kitchen to make meal time exciting and informative.
Parents
Foster healthy eating habits by learning to make nutritious meals, delicious.
Teens
Prepare your teen with the necessary basics of nutrition, cooking, and healthy eating.
In-Store
Tour the grocery store and learn how to shop for healthy foods on a tight budget.
Care Professionals
Learn how to best prepare nutritious meals for the little eaters in your care.
Volunteer for a Class
Share your valuable knowledge of cooking or nutrition with your neighbors by volunteering to teach a class in your local community!
Make a New Recipe
It’s time to ignite your passion for cooking! Dive into our YouTube channel to unlock new recipes that are simple, healthy, and delicious.
Cook at Home
Simply enter the ingredients you have on hand to find delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-make recipes that the whole family will enjoy!
Cooking Matters Maine Partners
The Nutrition and Education Team
Meet the team that supports our Cooking Matters program.
Denise Gaudette
Cooking Matters Manager
Sarah Lorenz
Community Nutrition Coordinator
Courtney Kennedy
Director of Nutrition
Courtney Kennedy, M.Ed, is the Director of Nutrition for Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine and oversees Cooking Matters programming, the Nutrition Pantry Program, and Farm Fresh Reward, a nutrition incentive program in Maine.
During Courtney’s ten-year tenure, she has helped increase the organization’s nutrition foods by implementing a robust nutrition policy that guides the organization’s work, moving the needle from 54% nutrition foods to upwards to 82%. Courtney participated in Feeding America’s Nutritious Foods Revisioning Task Force, which worked on revamping nutrition guidelines for the charitable food network. In addition to this task force, Courtney works with State of Maine partners to continue building essential practices supporting overall health and wellness for food insecure neighbors.
Before working at the Food Bank, Courtney worked in the public education sector, working on policy, systems, and environmental changes related to nutrition and physical activity. Her most proud accomplishment was working with her school district to be the only middle/high school in the State to have accomplished the Healthier US School Challenge, resulting in an invitation to the White House and meeting First Lady Michelle Obama.
Courtney holds a Bachelor of Science in Education and Allied Health Professions with a concentration in Dietetics from the University of Dayton and a Master’s in Adult Education from the University of Southern Maine and certifications supporting her ongoing development. Courtney enjoys working out, running, and walking her dog Harry Bear, a Newfie, in her free time. She resides in Southern Maine but is passionate about traveling and seeing the world.
Meg Brown
Community Nutrition Manager
As the Community Nutrition Manager at the Food Bank, Meg Brown manages the incentive-based program, Farm Fresh Rewards in numerous local retail outlets, the Nutrition for ME recipe website content, and Community First, a collaborative, multifaceted approach to addressing root causes of food insecurity.
She is a rural Maine native with a leadership and project management background and has a deep passion for human services. Brown is heavily invested in studying and spreading awareness about the intersection of trauma science, nutrition, and food insecurity. Brown continuously uses skills and knowledge gained through her research and experience to inform and progress the work at the Food Bank. She is incredibly motivated and proud to be at the forefront of embracing a holistic approach to ending hunger in Maine.
Brown received a B.A. in Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern Maine and is working to finish her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.
She has lived happily in Portland for nearly 15 years with her husband, two daughters, and their dog, Willie. In her free time, she enjoys taking her family to visit her family’s farm in Waterford, Maine, and continues to enjoy and explore all the Maine and New England have to offer.
Cooking Matters Maine Trainings and Resources
Classes are offered in all 16 counties through partnerships with Maine SNAP-Ed, Eat Well Nutrition Program, 5-2-1-0 Let’s Go!, and other community organizations.
