A national event titled ‘Little Chef’ was organised for the Little Friends of Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association in order to improve the cooking skills and creativity of girls between the ages of seven and 12. The event was organised at the Weligama Bay Marriott Resort and Spa, a luxury beach resort situated in Weligama Bay, which is a popular surfing spot down south.
Though there were 1,000 registered participants for this event from all nine provinces, organisers had to select 10 little chefs to perform at the event and showcase their talents due to the current health and safety guidelines. Thus five little friends from the Galle and Matara Districts showcased their cooking skills at the hotel with the guidance of Chef Saman Weerakkody, a chef reputed in local and international hotels and restaurants as a multi-cuisine chef with over two decades of experience.
Chef Saman not only demonstrated the preparation of delicious recipes but also enriched the Little Friends’ knowledge on locally-available nutritious and medicinal foods. The rest of the little chefs participated through the Zoom online platform, carrying out the same activities and uploading the pictures with great enthusiasm.
This program was linked to the Girl Powered Nutrition (GPN) programme which is run by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). The GPN programme promotes education on the importance of a balanced and healthy lifestyle, enabling girls to be agents of change at local, national, and global levels and to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition.
Sri Lanka was selected for the GPN programme as a considerable percentage of the Sri Lankan population is suffering from malnutrition and anaemia. The Sri Lanka Girl Guide Association has taken the initiative to educate and empower girls and young women around the country to break this cycle of malnutrition and to bring about change in society. ‘Little Chef’ was part of the program and involved Little Friends in engaging in fun-filled and challenging activities during this event.
Moreover, the little chefs had the opportunity to educate themselves on the different nutrients that would help them grow strong and healthy as Nutritionist Lasika Jayamaha highlighted during her speech, while answering many questions from the participants.
The little chefs had their busiest Sunday morning on 9 January, cooking delicious and nutritious roti with chocolate spread and fruit filling and experimenting with their culinary skills. Chef Saman Weerakkody also demonstrated the preparation of a medicinal but delicious tea using our very own Sri Lankan herbs.
This was the first-ever cooking challenge that was organised for children and credit goes to the Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association and Weligama Bay Marriott Resort and Spa for taking this initiative.
The organisers believe that this event will advance the understanding of healthy eating among the participants and play a role in eliminating malnutrition from our society.
