Earlier this week we brought you a selection of winners from the Australian International Design Awards but one idea caught our imagination so we decided to look at this concept a bit more in depth.
This is “The Taste Mobile Kitchen” from The Benevolent Society and it is not only the first kitchen of its kind in Australia but also the first to win an Australian International Design Award – Best in Category Service Design.
The judges were impressed with the entry saying, “Service design is often difficult to explain as much of it is intangible and relates to the overall experience. This project is an excellent example of how design thinking has been used to create a brilliant experience and real societal benefits. Just brilliant!”
The Taste Mobile Kitchen is a 6.5-tonne shipping container based at Banksia Road Public School in Greenacre where The Benevolent Society runs ‘produce-to-plate’ cooking classes in the school. Students and their families learn how to prepare simple, healthy and affordable meals using fresh produce from the school’s vegetable patch and explore how one ingredient – be it vegetable, herb or spice – can be used in a variety of cultures.
The container converts to a mobile kitchen which is being used to break down cultural barriers and increase community cohesion in south west Sydney. It was developed in consultation with the Greenacre community following feedback that its members were looking for spaces where they could take part in local activities, and Banksia Road Public School who wished to make the school community more accessible to parents and residents.
The kitchen can be hired on weekends with the income subsidising the kitchen’s activities in the school. Because it folds compactly into a shipping container, it can be easily transported for events such as festivals and food fairs.
The Taste Mobile Kitchen was constructed by Strathfield family business Containers First. Construction and fitout were funded by the NSW Government’s Community Building Partnership Program and appliances provided by Breville, Home Appliances P/L and Euromaid.
For more information about The Benevolent Society visit www.benevolent.org.au
For more information about the Australian International Design Awards visit www.gooddesignaustralia.com/awards
