à la carte - Food Literacy

à la carte is a food literacy project led by the Ottawa Public Library that brings together local partners to serve up fresh programs, activities and events to raise awareness about how we are connected to the food we eat and grow.

The à la carte food literacy project is creating a community cookbook of original family favourites. As part of our Canada 150 Storytelling Through Food initiative we’re also looking for stories to accompany these recipes. We’d like to hear about your family favourites and the memories attached to them in a maximum of 3-4 sentences. Please be sure to submit precise measurements. 150 recipes will be chosen to be featured in the cookbook. Thanks for sharing.

Log in with your library card to submit a recipe

Read a monthly digital story brought to you by à la carte to highlight what is happening in our food culture and community:

Read: Food for Thought

July story: Think Outside

Read: Think Outside

June story: Of Birds and Bees

Read Of Birds and Bees

May story: The Future of Food

Read about the future of food

April story: Time to Grow

Read Time to Grow

March story: Food Waste

Read about food waste

February Story: Food that Works

Read about food that works

January story: Comfort Food

Read about comfort food

• January: Cooking with your kids is more than food education; it develops skills in math, science, and language.  Role modeling and cooking together also builds confidence, independence and lifelong healthy lifestyle habits.
• February: Trim your grocery bill by planning meals, using vegetables and fruits in season, and cooking with meat alternatives, such as beans, more often.  Other ideas to eat well on a budget.
• March: Menu planning can help you eat healthy, save money and get tasty meals to the table faster. Seven steps for quick and easy menu planning.
• April: Eat meals together as a family as often as you can.  Children who eat with their families tend to eat healthier foods like vegetables, fruit and whole grains and often have fewer behavioural problems. More tips for planning family meals
• May: Water is the best and least expensive way to quench your thirst.  Choose water, milk or drinks with no added sugar most often.  Many other beverages can provide over 10 teaspoons of sugar!  Check out the facts on sugary drinks, healthier beverage options and nutritious and delicious flavoured water recipes
• June: Keep your lettuce crisp and your apples crunchy! Storing vegetables and fruit properly keeps them fresh and tasty for longer and reduces food waste.
• July: Cooking with herbs and spices makes meals taste great and is a great way to cut down on salt, sugar or fat in a recipe. Enhance the flavour of your meals by following these tips!
• August: Start your day by eating a healthy balanced breakfast! Eating breakfast everyday helps improve mental health and reduces risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.  For kids, eating breakfast helps improve concentration and academic performance.

The OPL/BPO à la carte project is designed to introduce food literacy into library programming and position the public library as a recognized community resource and partner for accessible food related information and programming. The project involves working with partners who share a common vision in the emergent field of food literacy. Key stakeholders in our initiative include: Ottawa Public Health, MarketMobile, JustFood and the Ottawa International Writer’s Festival. The main components of the project focus on outreach and programming, as well as the development of a digital storytelling app related to food and the creation of a community garden on the grounds of one of our library branches. This webpage brings together resources and information related to the project. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.
Please contact us at: alacarte@biblioottawalibrary.ca

The project is funded by a grant from the Ontario Libraries Capacity Fund (OLCF), which is administered by the Government of Ontario.