Chef Ardel Nelson – quick holiday dinners on a budget

Once a month, Chef Ardel Nelson offers a healthy cooking class for residents in our emergency shelter. Each class includes how to prepare an appetizer, salad, entrée and dessert.

Many of these meals are prepared in a crockpot, allowing residents to prepare the meal in the morning and return in the evening to a home cooked meal! The Shelter provides all of the necessary ingredients for the class.

“Ardel is very conscious of the little time that our mothers have, so she makes sure that the meal can take less than 30 minutes to prepare,” says The Shelter Residential Manager Lise Descoteaux. “The goal is to make sure the family eats healthily and sit down together as a family to share a meal and the events of the day.”

A retired chef, Ardel offers her services to The Shelter free of charge. Her volunteer service makes a difference in the lives of our shelter families.