Growing Chefs! Ontario: Celebrating Our Team: Two Wins at the 2025 Excellence in Agriculture Awards!

We’re thrilled to share some incredible news — Growing Chefs! Ontario has been recognized with two awards at the 2025Excellence in Agriculture Awards, presented by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. Our team proudly took home both the Minister’s Award and the Education Excellence Award!

👉 Read the full announcement from the Ministry here. <?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“UTF‑8”?>

For over 17 years, Growing Chefs! Ontario has worked to change the way children and families learn about and develop healthy relationships with food. What started as a small grassroots initiative in London has grown into a province-wide model for hands-on, inclusive, and fun food education.

Today, our programs reach more than 10,000 participants each year, and over 120,000 children and families have taken part since our beginning. Through our social enterprise, we’re also creating a more sustainable model for food education — delivering 125,000 scratch-made lunches to local schools last year, generating $1.2 million in revenue, and sourcing over 40% Ontario-grown ingredients.

“This recognition is a true honour,” says Katherine Jones, Executive Chef at Growing Chefs! Ontario. ​“It’s a reflection of our team’s dedication and passion — 22 small but mighty superheroes who believe in making food education equitable, impactful, and fun. We hope our model continues to inspire similar initiatives across Ontario.”

The Minister’s Award highlights organizations demonstrating leadership and innovation in Ontario’s agri-food sector, while the Education Excellence Award celebrates outstanding contributions to agricultural and food literacy.

We’re deeply grateful to the Ministry for this recognition — and to our community, partners, and supporters who help us continue to grow and share the power of food education. Together, we’re building a healthier, more connected, and resilient local food system for generations to come.