A shared meal creates new pathways at CUC Maranoa

When second-year nursing student Indi arrived at a Cook + Connect session at CUC Maranoa, she did not expect to meet someone already working in her dream career.

Around the table that evening was Shami, a mental health nurse with the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Indi had dreamed of working for the RFDS since watching the television series as a child. Over a shared meal, she was able to ask Shami about her career, hear about her experiences and gain advice from someone working in the field she hopes to enter.

It was an unexpected connection, but exactly the kind Cook + Connect was designed to create.

Delivered by CUC Maranoa in partnership with Queensland Health‘sHOPE Preventative Health Service, Cook + Connect brings students, graduates and local professionals together through practical cooking sessions and informal conversation.

The program aims to reduce isolation, strengthen students’ sense of belonging and create opportunities for connections that may support their education and career journeys. Through shared cooking and meals, the program bring people together to build skills, confidence and connections that support long-term health and wellbeing.

“Cook + Connect creates a welcoming space where people can share much more than a meal,” CUC Maranoa Learning Skills Advisor Kat Ballon said.

 

“Students can meet people at different stages of study and employment, hear about pathways they may not have considered and build connections that encourage them to keep working towards their goals.”

The June session was facilitated by Jaimee and Kara, two graduate dietitians who had completed a university placement in Roma the previous year.

Just three weeks after graduating, they returned to the region to share their knowledge and experiences with local students.

Earlier that day, the pair joined CUC Maranoa at St John’s School, where they spoke with Year 12 students about university, placement and the transition into the workforce. That evening, the conversations continued around the Cook + Connect table.

The group reflected the many different pathways regional students can take.

Campbell is nearing completion of a Trade-to-Teach education degree through CQUniversity. More than a decade ago, while completing his apprenticeship, he helped construct the council building that CUC Maranoa now calls home.

Addie has been part of the Centre community since its opening day. Her study journey has taken her from a Certificate III to a Diploma, and she is now completing a Bachelor of Education through Southern Cross University.

Shami was in Roma to deliver Mental Health First Aid training and had previously registered with CUC Maranoa while undertaking postgraduate study through The University of Queensland. An email invitation prompted her to attend Cook + Connect, leading to her conversation with Indi.

For Kat, the evening showed how informal community programs can create meaningful education and workforce connections.

“Regional students do not always have easy access to professional networks or people working in the careers they are considering,” she said.

 

“Bringing students, graduates and professionals together gives them the chance to learn from one another and see that there are many different ways to reach their goals.”

The program also supports the region’s future workforce by connecting students with people who have studied, completed placements or built careers locally.

For Jaimee and Kara, a regional placement created a connection with Roma that continued after graduation. For Indi, a conversation over dinner made a future career feel more tangible. For Campbell and Addie, the evening provided an opportunity to share the less traditional paths that had led them back to education.

Different journeys, different stages and different career goals, all brought together around one table.

That is the simple idea behind Cook + Connect: good food can begin a conversation, and the right conversation can open a door.