Gambia’s Recipe for Change: Waste to Wonder and Conor Spacey Cook Up Sustainability

7 mins

Non-profit organisation Waste to Wonder Worldwide and zero-waste chef Conor Spacey are teaming up to build a sustainable cookery school in Gambia  

Crashing down onto the steep, hard, concrete slopes of Jebel Jais, pain radiated through Nick Glover’s limbs and jolted him wide awake with an alarming start.   

More than 20 hours into his ‘triple Everest’ – an extraordinary 970-kilometres bike ride that required him to scale the UAE’s tallest mountain 21 times – the double cancer survivor and type-one diabetic had fallen asleep while cycling, toppling over the handlebars. 

Miraculously, the British national survived the fall with nothing but a few scratches and completed the endurance test in just 57 hours.

As Social Impact Director for Waste to Wonder Worldwide, a non-profit organisation based in the UK and UAE, the purpose of Nick’s challenge was to raise awareness of plans to open a sustainable cookery school in Gambia.  

aerial view of Jebel jais
Nick Glover scaled the UAE’s tallest mountain 21 times for his ‘Triple Everest’ endurance challenge

Created in partnership with renowned zero-waste chef Conor Spacey, the off-grid, sustainable cookery school in Gambia will include a farm where students can learn how to grow crops, and a cafe where tourists and visitors can purchase meals made by the students.

‘For me it’s about giving people “the tools” to help themselves out of poverty,’ notes Connor. ‘Throwing money at a problem is not always the answer and in many cases the money doesn’t get to actual people that need it. The Catering school is about teaching people skills that will allow them to work their way out of poverty and also all the communities will benefit.’

Triple Everest for Gambia

Nearly half the population of Gambia, one of the poorest countries in the world, lives below the poverty line. The situation is particularly dire in rural areas, where 76 per cent face poverty and 91 per cent rely on farming as a primary source of income.

Waste to Wonder Worldwide and Conor Spacey’s initiative to build a sustainable cookery school is a step towards empowering young Gambians with skills and opportunities to escape that cycle.

Nick’s triple Everest raised £5,000 (AED 23,500) of the £40,000 (AED 188,000) needed to build, run and maintain the school.

‘I saw cats running under bikes, and the mountains around me changing shape. The only reason I finished was because of the 52 community cyclists who rode with me through different portions of the ride.

‘I realised that if we were going to get this project off the ground, I had to do something big. Not many people have done a triple Everest before, and I liked the idea of pushing boundaries,’ he tells The Ethicalist.

‘I’ve done ultra marathons, but this ride required another level of endurance. From about lap 17 to 21, it was purely a matter of survival.’

cyclist at Jebel Jais
Nick was helped on the grueling 57 hour ride by community cyclists

Through the two-and-a-half day ride, the Dubai resident slept for just three and a half hours causing him to experience vivid hallucinations.   

‘I saw cats running under bikes, and the mountains around me changing shape. The only reason I finished was because of the 52 community cyclists who rode with me through different portions of the ride. They helped me work out what was real and what wasn’t, and they motivated me to keep going even when I desperately wanted to stop. It was a great example of the powers of resilience and community.’

First diagnosed with cancer 20 years ago, Glover explains that his experiences with the illness have made him determined to seize every opportunity and live life to the full.

‘The cancer completely changed my mindset. I have been heavily involved in non-profit work and cycling ever since. Aside from improving lives, I also want to prove that diabetes doesn’t have to be a burden.’

Creating Opportunities

Founded in the UK, Waste to Wonder Worldwide supplies schools with old furniture and equipment. To date, it has equipped over 1,400 schools in 40 countries, and installed boar wells to provide 12,000 people in Gambia with access to fresh water. The Catering School is one of its biggest projects to date.   

Designed by UAE-based architecture firm Kidzink, Conor Spacey is creating the curriculum.  

‘I’ve been a chef for 35 years, and I’ve always wanted to open a cookery school. I started talking to Waste to Wonder about the project about a year ago, and things have moved so fast since then,’ says the Irish author of sustainable cookbook, Wasted.

The land in Gambia has been purchased for The Catering School and crops are starting to grow

‘We’ve bought the land, and now we are working on the curriculum and the design. It will hopefully open early next year.’

The farm will produce around 30 percent of the ingredients used in the school, while the rest of the kitchen supplies will be purchased from other farmers in the local community, giving them an income to pay for school fees and keeping their children in education.

The classes will mainly focus on African recipes that incorporate local vegetables and grains, and some European dishes will be incorporated, too.

african vegetable soup
The classes will mainly focus on African recipes that incorporate local vegetables and grains

‘I’m a vegetarian, and in Gambia meat is a luxury that most people can’t afford,’ explains Connor. ‘So, I really want to highlight how vegetables can be the star of the show in every meal.’

Each intake of students will complete six months of teaching, and work placements in Gambia, Africa and around the world.

Zero Waste, Zero Emissions

As the founder of his own ethical food service company, the Irish chef will also ensure that students learn how to use every part of ingredients.  

‘The local community in Gambia struggles to get access to good food, so it’s extra important to show them that everything can be made into something delicious. We will introduce them to fermentation, pickling, and different ways to preserve food, too.

Conor Spacey has long been an advocate of sustainable food. Image: Philip Doyle

‘Once they graduate. They will then take this zero-waste approach with them into the workplace, and contribute to making the hospitality industry more sustainable.’

‘The Chef’s Manifesto includes some of the world’s finest celebrity chefs and figures from Michelin-starred restaurants, and they will introduce students to different global cuisines, techniques, and flavours.

Conor Spacey, Chef

Part of the Chef’s Manifesto, a movement of over 1,500 chefs from across the globe who are dedicated to creating a more climate conscious food system, Spacey has already recruited some of his fellow members to teach guest classes at The Catering School in Gambia. 

‘We will have several full-time teachers, and I will visit around five times a year. The Chef’s Manifesto includes some of the world’s finest celebrity chefs and figures from Michelin-starred restaurants, and they will introduce students to different global cuisines, techniques, and flavours. Our level of teaching will be envied by even the world’s finest culinary schools.’

Completely powered by solar power and built from locally grown bamboo, the school will be constructed by local people. Its carbon footprint will be practically zero. 

Spacey concludes: ‘The school will be totally self-sufficient. Eventually, we want to open 10 more schools across Africa and elsewhere. We’re confident that the model will be successful and give so many families the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty and provide themselves with high-quality food and clean water.’

For more information about the cookery school, please visit wastetowonder.com/cookery-school/.

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