Whistler’s local community kitchen is getting a boost from 100 Women Whistler.
According to founder Natalie Kingi, the $15,400 grant means the Whistler Recreate Our Community Kitchen Society (Whistler ROCKS) is “finally in business.”
While the Whistler Community Services Society has supported Whistler ROCKS since its inception, and will continue to do so, it’s the first proper grant the community kitchen has received.
“Our community partners are our biggest assets,” Kingi said in a release, adding local non-profit Zero Ceiling is offering the use of its kitchen and dining area for upcoming dinners, while Rockit Café has also offered its space for communal dinners.
Kingi launched Whistler ROCKS in the summer of 2023 in response to rising food prices and insecurity in the Sea to Sky, with the intent of “creating a community kitchen with a cosy dining area where locals can convene, enjoy dinner, and hang out,” the release said. “Although ROCKS hasn’t yet secured a home for its community kitchen, it will start hosting communal dinners this summer on premises borrowed from partners who share its vision.”
The upcoming community dinners will be prepared and served by volunteers, and wherever possible, made from “rescued” food that would otherwise be tossed. Dinners will be offered free of charge to those without the means to pay, and to others for a suggested minimum donation to cover operating costs.
Whistler ROCKS aims to serve all permanent or seasonal residents who struggle to make a good meal, whether because their paycheques go overwhelmingly to housing, or because they lack ready access to kitchen facilities, “as in the case of those living in bare-bones staff housing or overcrowded or substandard accommodation,” Kingi said in the release. “They’re among the people who keep this town running. We’re here for them.”
Serving the younger demographic of Whistler, many of whom are far away from home and family for the first time, is one of Whistler ROCKS’ main goals.
“There’s one thing receiving food and there’s another thing knowing what to do with it, knowing how to make three random ingredients into a meal,” Kingi told Pique in July 2023. “I make everything from scratch, and to me, it’s easy, but other people don’t know how to do it. When the food bank has, for example, an excess of chickpeas, what do people who don’t know how to cook chickpeas do with it?”
Originally from New Zealand, Kingi has lived in Whistler for 15 years, overcoming all the obstacles that come with the territory along the way—whether that be learning to snowboard and mountain bike, navigating visas and citizenship, or dealing with Whistler’s tumultuous housing market… all while pursuing her own career in tech and raising a child.
“I was able to overcome all these obstacles, and want to make sure others can not only survive in this town, but thrive,” she previously told Pique, of her passion for Whistler ROCKS. “I have determination and drive, and this gives me a great sense of purpose for this cause.”
Whistler ROCKS gained charitable status in November 2024—you can donate to the cause at canadahelps.org/en/dn/124312.
While feeding Whistler is at the heart of its mission, the community kitchen also aims to address a different need in Whistler: a serious gap in community infrastructure.
“While Whistler has plenty of restaurants and bars, it’s very short on places to get together without spending money,” the release said, adding Kingi hopes ROCKS dinners will bring the community together and foster a sense of belonging among all involved—visitors, volunteers, and supporting members alike.
Learn more and get involved at whistler-rocks.ca.
