Fink
“Fink” follows the visionary and utterly unconventional crusade of a culinary arts teacher at Northwestern Secondary School in Stratford, Ontario. Paul Finkelstein, or “Fink” as the students call him, transforms the lives of his students by showing them how the food they eat affects every aspect of their lives: their bodies, their relationships to family and friends and ultimately to the planet. Fink is one of “those” teachers. The kind that kids never forget. Over the course of a term, Fink battles to raise the consciousness of a generation bred on junk-food, runs a funky fine-food alternative high school cafeteria called the Screaming Avocado and takes a diverse group of Culinary Club students on a pilgrimage to Italy.
EP 1- The Quest - Fink takes a student to a slaughterhouse. The club’s first fundraising dinner goes awry.
EP 2- Every Mouthful Counts - Fink highjacks a school field trip.
EP 3- The Shock Of The New - Fink performs a taste test with primary school students
EP 4- Screwing Up - The food club’s largest fundraising event of the year devolves into chaos.
EP 5- The Cookoff - Fink challenges his students to participate in a competition.
EP 6- Reality Bites - Fink recruits a rugby star for a provincial service competition.
EP 7- Growing Pains - A star student accepts a coveted apprenticeship at a renowned restaurant.
EP 8- Follow The Leader - Fink puts Ben, his chronic underachiever, in charge of the next club fundraising dinner.
EP 9- No Free Lunches - A student writes a scathing dinner review that enflames the kitchen staff.
EP 10- The Ultimatum - It’s a mad scramble to raise cash for an upcoming trip to Italy.
EP 11- The Pilgrimage - The students go on a culinary tour of Italy.
EP 12- The Revelation - While on a culinary tour of Italy, two students are offered apprenticeships in Italy
EP 13- The Celebration - The club members graduate and prepare a lavish tribute dinner.
Toilets
As North Americans we have a love affair with the toilet. I won’t eat at a fast food joint… but I’ll gladly bring a busload of young tourists to use the facilities.
A Tour of Italy
Through meeting the farmers, working with chefs, and dining and speaking with locals, we learn all about Italian food from the inside-out.
Lessons from the Classroom
While great things can happen within the confines of the halls of academia, I’m a firm believer in experiential learning.
