CookGether : A Culinary Experience That Brings You Closer to Nature

Sirine Chaouechi, Liu T. Corriveau, Maya Guénard-Chouinard, El Mahdi Namir, Eliana Marcela Piedrahita Velasquez M.A. Interaction design student, Université Laval

Under the supervision of Jacynthe Roberge, Associate Professor With the collaboration of Laurence Paquette, PhD Candidate

Project completed in 2024 as part of the DES-6012 Design d’interaction I course.

A French version of this article is available here: **Lire la version française**

People in Québec rely heavily on imported food, partly due to long winters that limit local agricultural production and an increasing disconnection from the origins of their food. Yet interest in local, seasonal, and more sustainable eating continues to grow.

Based on a design research approach involving interviews, focus groups, shadowing, and knowledge assessment activities, we identified two recurring barriers: limited awareness of Québec-made products and insufficient practical knowledge to prepare them. We propose CookGether, a collaborative culinary initiative that reconnects consumers with local producers through hands-on workshops led by farmers and artisans in public spaces. An accompanying mobile app supports workshop coordination, offers seasonal recipes, and helps sustain connections with producers beyond the event.

The project aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to health and well-being, inclusive communities, and responsible consumption. Overall, CookGether positions cooking as a social practice that may contribute to more conscious, sustainable, and connected eating habits.

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1 INTRODUCTION

The lifestyle of Québec City residents is shaped by the rhythm of the seasons. Long winters make year-round local production of fresh produce difficult. As a result, 46.7% of the food consumed in Québec in 2021 was imported from outside the province (VARGAS 2023).

In this industrialized context, where daily life is often fast-paced, many consumers have become increasingly distant from the origins of their food. Although awareness of the environmental and social implications of this situation is growing, the transition toward more localized food systems remains gradual and requires structural adjustments. Historically, communities relied more directly on local production. Today, however, Québec is far from food self-sufficiency, which can increase economic and environmental vulnerability. In response, the Québec government announced a $2.1 million investment to strengthen connections between agricultural producers, artisanal processors, and consumers (GOUVERNEMENT DU QUÉBEC 2023).

Eating is a daily practice that shapes both individual well-being and environmental impact. Yet many consumers have limited knowledge of where their food comes from, how it is produced, or how to prepare seasonal local ingredients. Strengthening this knowledge may support more informed and sustainable food choices.

2 DESIGN APPROACH AND METHODS

As part of this project, we adopted a human-centered ethnographic research approach (NOVA 2014) to better understand the factors shaping the dietary habits of Québec City residents.

We initially focused on vegetarians, assuming they might demonstrate greater sensitivity to issues of local and sustainable food consumption. However, early findings suggested that this assumption was not necessarily supported, leading us to broaden the scope of our inquiry.

Through desk research, interviews, and focus groups, we gathered qualitative insights into participants’ experiences and perspectives, which informed several key findings.

2.1 INTERVIEWS

We conducted 11 semi-structured interviews to explore participants’ experiences and perspectives related to their dietary and cooking practices. Drawing on diverse personal backgrounds allowed us to refine our understanding of the broader context (KOLKO 2011).

The interview guide structured the discussions while leaving space for participants to describe their habits, motivations, and reflections in their own words. Across interviews, we observed that food choices were often shaped by ethical, environmental, and health considerations, with motivations varying according to individual values, interests, and cultural backgrounds.

Several interviews were conducted with a variety of respondents.

2.2 FOCUS GROUP

We conducted two focus group sessions with approximately eight participants each to explore attitudes, perceptions, and practices related to food purchasing and preparation, while encouraging discussion within the group (MARTIN et HANINGTON 2012).

These discussions suggested that, in grocery-store settings, the link between food products and their origins is not always salient. Participants often described difficulty identifying which items were locally produced, which may contribute to purchasing decisions that favor imported products.

From a systems perspective, this dynamic may have both economic and environmental implications. Research on local food systems suggests that short supply chains can support rural development and community ties and may benefit some farmers, while other producers may remain better served by broader markets. At the same time, transport across food supply chains represents a meaningful component of food-system emissions, particularly for fresh produce (STEIN et SANTINI 2022; LI et al. 2022).

Focus Group Activity on Food Habits.

2.3 HARVEST CALENDAR

With the same group, we assessed participants’ familiarity with Québec-grown fruits and vegetables and their seasonal availability. Using images, we asked them to identify selected foods and place them on a harvest calendar. Many participants expressed uncertainty when identifying local vegetables and had difficulty associating them with the appropriate season, suggesting limited familiarity with seasonal local produce.

A key finding was the contrast between participants who cook regularly and those who cook rarely or not at all. Regular cooks generally performed better on this task, while less frequent cooks tended to struggle. This observation aligns with Canada’s Food Guide, which emphasizes the role of food skills and cooking in supporting healthier eating patterns (GOUVERNEMENT DU CANADA 2022).

2.4 SHADOWING

To better understand the in-store decision-making experience, we conducted a shadowing session by accompanying one participant during a grocery-shopping trip. Shadowing allows researchers to observe behaviors and decision-making in context (MARTIN et HANINGTON 2012).

We observed that the participant made little distinction between imported and local foods in their choices. Additionally, some healthy, low-cost local foods were quickly dismissed because the participant did not know how to cook them.

These findings suggest that beyond information, people may benefit from social and practical supports that make local foods easier to discover and integrate into everyday routines.

2.5 KEY FINDINGS

Overall, our findings suggest that limited connection to the origins of food can be a barrier to adopting more local and sustainable eating practices. Across methods, participants often described low familiarity with Québec-grown foods and uncertainty about how to prepare them, which may contribute to reliance on imported products and reduce opportunities for local producers.

AEIOU Analysis

3 DESIGN OPPORTUNITY

How might we support people in discovering and adopting more local, health-supporting, and environmentally sustainable eating practices?

This question led us to reflect on a growing phenomenon in Québec: community running clubs. In recent years, people have been gathering in front of local businesses to run together. These meetups are generally open and informal, with participants showing up at a shared time and place. The goal is not only to run, but also to motivate one another, learn from others, and connect as a community.

Research on health behavior suggests that social environments can influence habit change, including dietary practices (GLANZ et al. 2015). In our interviews, several participants described changing their eating habits, such as adopting a vegetarian diet, through the influence of friends or family members.

Could a similar collective dynamic help reconnect consumers with Québec producers and encourage more local food practices?

4 RELATED WORKS

Gathering in a group to learn new practices can support habit change, which helps explain the widespread popularity of cooking classes. For example, Au Tour Du Pot organizes workshops on preserving surplus food as a way to reduce food waste. By transforming ingredients that might otherwise be discarded, participants learn techniques they can apply at home (AU TOUR DU POT 2024).

Similarly, Aliments du Québec promotes Québec products in grocery stores and through its online platform by offering recipes, tools, and podcasts featuring producers. This type of approach aims to increase awareness of local products and support local businesses (ALIMENTS DU QUÉBEC 2025).

5 COOKGETHER

CookGether is a community-based culinary initiative designed to introduce participants to seasonal Québec products and their preparation through hands-on cooking workshops. It addresses both individuals interested in developing food skills and local producers who wish to share their expertise. Throughout the year, farmers, orchardists, beekeepers, livestock producers, and food processors are invited to present their products and demonstrate preparation techniques.

The CookGether app connects producers and consumers

Activities take place in public spaces equipped with kitchen facilities, such as libraries, community centers, and schools, and are led by participating producers. Québec City offers several accessible kitchen spaces that can host such activities. To participate, users download the CookGether app and register for a nearby event. Recipes vary according to seasonal availability, encouraging participants to explore a range of locally sourced ingredients across the year.

The app supports event coordination and provides information to help participants maintain connections with producers beyond the workshop. Users can access producer profiles, product availability, business hours, and recipe suggestions, which may facilitate the integration of newly learned practices into everyday routines.

Events led by producers.

Through CookGether, cooking becomes a shared learning experience centered on skill-building and connection. Rather than focusing solely on food consumption, the initiative emphasizes collective engagement and knowledge exchange around local food practices.

Journey map of CookGether’s key users demonstrates that everyone benefits from the process.

The initiative aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). By supporting local producers and promoting seasonal consumption practices, CookGether contributes to community-based approaches to sustainable food systems (NATIONS UNIES 2024).

6 EVALUATION AND PROJECT PROGRESS

A first prototype of the CookGether app was developed and tested with users to gather feedback. Overall, these sessions suggested interest in the concept and helped identify areas for improvement. The app was iterated several times based on this feedback to refine key interactions and content.

We also shared an explanatory video of the project with prospective workshop participants. Many expressed curiosity about the initiative and reflected on their own confidence in cooking skills, indicating that CookGether could address a perceived need for practical support.

While these early activities provided useful insights, additional work is required to assess feasibility in real-world conditions. Future steps include piloting workshops with local producers and participants to evaluate operational constraints, stakeholder needs, and the viability of the model, alongside the practical functionality of the app.

7 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, our fieldwork suggests that limited connection to the origins of food can be a barrier to adopting more local and sustainable eating practices in Québec City. In response, we propose CookGether, a collaborative culinary initiative designed to reconnect participants with seasonal Québec products through hands-on workshops led by local producers.

By foregrounding local expertise, building familiarity with seasonality, and supporting collective learning, CookGether offers a practical way to develop food skills and strengthen relationships between consumers and producers. While the concept was developed for Québec City, it may be adaptable to other contexts with similar challenges, pending local partnerships and feasibility testing. Ultimately, CookGether positions local eating as something people can build through shared practice, turning seasonal ingredients into a concrete, collective entry point for change.

BIBLIOGRAPHIE

ALIMENTS DU QUÉBEC (2025). «De tout, pour tous les goûts!», Aliments du Québec, https://alimentsduquebec.com/fr.

AU TOUR DU POT (2024). «Conserve mobile», Au Tour du Pot, https://conserves-saison.autourdupot.net.

GOUVERNEMENT DU CANADA (2022). «Guide alimentaire canadien : Cuisinez plus souvent», https://guide-alimentaire.canada.ca/fr/recommandations-en-matiere-dalimentation-saine/cuisinez-plus-souvent.

GLANZ, K., RIMER, B. K. et VISWANATH, K. (2015). Health Behavior : Theory, Research, and Practice (Jossey-Bass Public Health), 5e édition, Jossey-Bass, 512p.

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NATIONS UNIES (2024). «Objectifs de développement durable : 17 objectifs pour sauver le monde», https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/fr/objectifs-de-developpement-durable.

NOVA, N. (2014). Beyond Design Ethnography : How Designers Practice Ethnographic Research, SHS Publishing, 139p.

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