SAMPSON FAMILY YMCA Meet Oliver Pinder, Sampson Family YMCA’s Teaching Kitchen Director. Oliver has been passionate about food, and most importantly, the access to healthy and sustainable options for most of his adult life. He completed a Fulbright year in South Africa, after which he returned for a job in marketing that allowed him to attend culinary school, train to be a chef and work in fine dining before his return to the US. Back in the states, he worked in a middle school, running the after school program and holding cooking classes for kids, worked in restaurants and catering, and eventually landed at Chatham, where he received a Masters in Food Studies and Sustainability. Then, the pandemic hit. Oliver had already been baking bread from his home and in 2020, he opened Wild Rise, a bakery with allergen-friendly, gluten-free and vegan options. He eventually opened a brick and mortar location, along with selling his goods to many farmer’s markets and restaurants in the area. He ran this venture for five years, but in 2025, due to rising ingredient costs and the fact that Oliver felt the community piece was missing from his work, he decided to close that chapter and enter a new one. As timing often does, the Teaching Kitchen Director role opened at Sampson and Oliver knew he would finally be able to combine his passion for food and his love of community in one place. He has made a massive impact in just a few short months. He started Soup Fridays at the end of October, giving everyone in the community (not just Y members) a chance to come into the Y, enjoy a meal and spend time together. His soups focus on flavor and fresh ingredients, with powerhouse vitamins and antioxidants for nourishment. For seniors, especially, this is becoming a lifeline to the community. Any excess soup from the day is then placed into community meal boxes, which also include a sandwich, snack and a fruit. Anyone, from anywhere, can come and grab a meal box. It’s been a hugely successful endeavor, especially during these last few months when benefits were limited, or taken away, and people were in greater need.
Oliver has big plans for the future and for spring the focus will be on the community garden and rolling out several classes for members and non-members (anyone can register). His goal is to get people of all ages (but especially seniors and kids) interested in the art of growing your own food and learning in a hands-on environment. Part of the agroecology program at Chatham (a holistic approach to farming), Oliver knows his way around sustainable food systems. The community is getting on board, too, and below are just a few of the partnerships Oliver is working on: The CCAC Dietetics program students came out and spoke with Y members about the nutritional benefits of the soup of the day. They helped make and serve the soup and also helped prepare the Community Meal boxes. The students will now come twice a month to do a lunch and learn with the community focused on disease-specific topics like eating for inflammation or managing diabetes. A lunch and learn with the American Heart Association is planned for February. A new series is in the works called “whole- istic parents,” for busy parents supporting their children’s sports and activities, to learn to prioritize self-care and smart ways to make healthy snacks and meals when you are always on the run.
Kids classes will occur, think mini master chef, where kids can learn kitchen skills and techniques to get them more aware and interested about cooking. Even with the Y childcare program, Oliver plans to come in and talk to the kids about exploring new foods, teaching kids how foods grow and the importance of a healthy diet. Oliver feels the desire to come into a space and make dishes together is empowering. He looks forward to everything upcoming and is open to interviews to share more about all of these wonderful plans and to share with the community how they can get involved!
FIND YOUR NE X
There are plans to offer “set it and forget it” meal ideas for seniors, who need to make small portions at home and to introduce them to new ingredients, who might find meal prepping together more fun and fulfilling. SS! LA TC