This page was exported from Caledon Citizen [ https://caledoncitizen.com ] Export date:Sat May 23 20:44:28 2026 / +0000 GMT ___________________________________________________ Title: Caledon Meals on Wheels Tasting Event  celebrates nutrition, support --------------------------------------------------- By Riley Murphy Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Caledon Meals on Wheels (CMOW) opened the doors of St. James Anglican Church to the community last week for their new tasting menu event. The free event was a chance for attendees to try new proposed menu items and give their feedback on what they'd like to see and how they like the dishes. The new meals were the brainchild of CMOW's new chef, Arielle Santos. “All these five dishes are extensions of myself in different parts of my life, whether it comes from my Filipino roots to being in an Italian bistro as a pastry chef, to now being in management for the past 8 to 10 years,” Santos told the room that day. Some items featured on the menu were beef mami, chicken katsu, ginger garlic shrimp, lumpia, and a tiramisu that seemed to be a fan favourite, as it disappeared quite early in the event. Santos told The Citizen she gravitated towards CMOW because she was looking for something different. After working in management for over eight years, she felt she had hit a ceiling and that her creative freedom was being pushed down. “Luckily, they decided to take a risk on me and allow me to have the creative freedom to develop the menus that I have so far, and also be able to apply the management skills that I've had from before and hopefully inspire the other two chefs that are in my kitchen,” says Santos. “Being here, albeit it's been a little bit short, but it's been very, very rewarding. Everyone's attitude has been so positive that it's infectious that I actually get up in the morning and look forward to going to work,” she adds. She commutes up to five days a week from Toronto, and what gets her up in the morning is looking forward to being able to feed somebody because “that's the fulfillment I get being in culinary.” When brainstorming the new menu, she says she enjoys mixing different cultures and flavour profiles. She adds she wants to make sure everyone can “have their cake and eat it too,” meaning abiding by all dietary restrictions while also bringing good flavours to the table. Looking out at the full room of attendees, Santos says it was a real feeling of community. CMOW had plenty of reasons to celebrate that day; the event also marked the launch of their new podcast series, Aging Out Loud Caledon, which focuses on the lives and stories of local older adults in the community, each with a unique story to share. The podcast was made possible through a $90,800 seed grant from the Provincial government's Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), which also helped support CMOW's completion of its 12-month intergenerational pilot, designed to reduce social isolation by creating opportunities for youth and seniors to build meaningful friendships. Recognizing that achievement on the big day was Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones. “Caledon Meals on Wheels has been doing amazing work for so many decades,” said Jones, and, speaking to the OTF grant, adds that it allows organizations such as CMOW to continue the work they do in the community. Executive Director for CMOW, Kim Rodrigues, said the day was about recognizing the grant, celebrating their organization, their new chef, and their new food, and sharing it with the community. “This funding gave us the opportunity to really strengthen our work in a way that was both practical and deeply meaningful, in supporting our efforts to reduce social isolation among adults, strengthen intergenerational connections and better prepare our organization for the future,” said Rodrigues. The grant also supported their community-building efforts, and seniors experienced greater social connection and engagement, said Rodrigues. Finally, it also supported the development of CMOW's strategic plan through research and stakeholder engagement. “It's helping us redefine how we engage our community, strengthen support services, and retain our volunteers. Just as importantly, it's giving us a clearer roadmap for the future and how we can continue to grow sustainably while continuing to meet the needs of older adults in our community,” said Rodrigues. “We're really proud of the work that has been made possible by this grant, not only in terms of activities and outcomes, but in the sense of connection, dignity, and belonging to help foster everyone being included. So, to the Ontario Trillium Foundation, thank you for believing in this work and for investing in our community. Your support has helped us build something that will be really lasting.” --------------------------------------------------- Images: --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Post date: 2026-03-19 11:17:05 Post date GMT: 2026-03-19 15:17:05 Post modified date: 2026-03-26 11:58:59 Post modified date GMT: 2026-03-26 15:58:59 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Export of Post and Page as text file has been powered by [ Universal Post Manager ] plugin from www.gconverters.com