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Migrant chefs to hold virtual cookery sessions
Migrateful, a charity helping asylum seekers, refugees and migrants to share their culinary skills, has moved online in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The pandemic has caused a significant effect on the charity, which relies on ticket sales to classes to make its money.
In an effort to keep the charity afloat, Migrateful has launched a series of virtual cooking classes.
is needed now More than ever
32 chefs from around the world will be sharing recipes via Zoom, and participants can learn cuisines from countries including Syria, Albania, Pakistan and Lebanon.
The charity is holding cooking sessions online, via Zoom
Migrateful was founded in London in 2017 by Jess Thompson, who had spent many years working with refugees in Ceuta, Morocco and Dunkirk. The organisation first came to Bristol in September 2019.
The charity works to promote cultural exchange, as well as help migrants assimilate into English life and gain skills while unable to access employment in the UK due to legal and linguistic barriers.
The hope is that the virtual cookery sessions will continue this important work.
“The coronavirus can infect us no matter our race, our religion, our politics or our social class. Many of us are now relying on government benefits to financially survive and on the NHS to stay alive,” says founder Jess Thompson.
“This experience reminds us that we, humans, can all be vulnerable and when we’re vulnerable it’s okay to need help.
“I hope that in the post-coronavirus world, this realisation compels us to meet our duty of care when we hear stories about refugees being forced to leave their homes for reasons out of their control.”
Participants will be sent a list of ingredients needed for the recipe and a Zoom meeting link ahead of the session.
During the interactive cookery session, the chef will lead the group through the recipe, stopping frequently to answer questions, share anecdotes, and provide feedback on the dishes.
Ordinarily, chefs hold in-person cooking lessons, which is how Migrateful earns money. Covid-19 has meant this can no longer happen
All online classes will be listed on the Migrateful website and pricing is based on a pay-what-you-can donation system, with gift vouchers for the online classes also available to purchase.
“When I don’t have control of what’s happening in my life, I try to work out the little things that I do have control over,” says Betty, a Migrateful chef from Nigeria. “Throughout my life, I’ve never lost my sense of hope. I believe that everything happens for a reason.”
Find out more at www.migrateful.org
All photos: Migrateful
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