How can gastronomy impact the social change of a vulnerable population assisted by social programs? The case of Brazilian social gastronomy

• Published in: International journal of gastronomy and food science 2023-06, Vol.32, p.100728, Article 100728
• Main Authors: Damasceno, Regiane Rabelo, Bonvini, Ottorino, Martins, Natalia de Sousa, Bastos, Regina Maria Silva, Garcez, Tereza Carlas da Nobrega Araujo, Carneiro, Alessandra Pinheiro de Goes, Costa, Eveline de Alencar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Empowerment; Professional qualification; Social change; Social development; Social gastronomy; Therapy
• ISSN: 1878-450X; 1878-4518
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijgfs.2023.100728

Social gastronomy is a topic studied in recent years, mainly due to the continuous emergence of organizations categorized within this concept during the economic crisis and pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. However, very little research has been done on the team associated with social gastronomy. And in Brazil, this movement has been growing in recent years, highlighting here in this work a social project in partnership with the university in a peripheral neighborhood of one of the largest metropolises in Brazil, Fortaleza. The Federal University of Ceará Social Gastronomy Program (Gastronomia Social UFC), an extension program of the Federal University of Ceará, promotes qualification courses for young people and adults, residents of the city of Fortaleza-CE, especially in the neighborhoods that make up the Grande Bom Jardim (Canindezinho, Bom Jardim, Siqueira, Granja Portugal, and Granja Lisboa), in communities whose population is prone to social risks, since this entire area has a high level of violence and a low HDI. Therefore, the present study aims to analyze the social impacts of the courses offered by the Social Gastronomy Program in People's Garden in 2019. The research was qualitative, quantitative, exploratory, and descriptive, carried out between February and March of 2021 through an electronic form with a sample of 51 students participating in the courses. The results showed that the courses promoted favorable social impacts for the community and provided opportunities to improve the quality of life, skills, and techniques in gastronomy, fulfilling a role commonly expected by the extension of the Federal University of Ceará. •Gastronomy as a tool for social development and community change.•The insertion in the labor market and the incentive to entrepreneurship can be accomplished by the qualification in gastronomy.•Gastronomy is a major social transformation tool for women, improving the quality of life.•Gastronomy is a promoter of social sustainability and the fight against poverty.•The action analyzed exceeds gastronomy and its impacts, as it adds other essential areas in the current context, such as mental health..