The last few weeks at The Dep has seen the realization of a project that an amazing group of volunteers have been working on for many weeks. The idea was simple: there were many Syrian refugee families stuck in hotels awaiting relocation, often for weeks on end, with no access to kitchens. Could we make The Dep available to them so they could cook food for their themselves and their families, in a fun, social setting?
It was more challenging than expected to find a way to connect with the community of families in the hotels, navigating bureaucratic and language barriers, but thanks to the hard work of some amazing people including Rahaf & Esmaeel Al Akabani and Yasmine Nasef from The Welcome Project, Mahmoud Allouch and Roula Ajib from the Arab Community Centre, Monica Abdelkader from COSTI, and the incredible support of Caroline Keenan, Andrea Diaz Varela, Cara Benjamin-Pace, Michelle Krasny (who also took these great photos) and Basil AlZeri, it all came together.
The day was a big success, with nearly a dozen mothers, young and old, coming together to cook and hang out and share a meal. The goal is to try and make this a regular event at The Dep, and once they get comfortable in the space, to invite them to make extra food that can be made available for sale for pick-up or delivery, providing them a revenue stream and entrepreneurial opportunity. There are still lots of logistical issues to figure out, from transportation to scheduling to child care to translation, but if today’s success is any indication, this amazing group will figure it all out.
The outpouring of support for this project has been incredible and overwhelming! Our team is working hard to be able to do this again ASAP, and to keep everyone in the loop.
To start we have set up some basic online resources for those who want to stay up-to-date on this project, or who may want to support it further once we figure out our next steps.
There is now a Facebook Group you can join:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NewcomerKitchen/
A mailing list where you can add your email:
http://eepurl.com/bYqCnj
Or you can follow it on Twitter or Instagram @newcomerkitchen
Direct inquires can be sent to newcomerkitchen@thedepanneur.ca
We will continue posting to the website, you can check in on updates here.
«Newcomer Kitchen» : le partage des traditions culinaires syriennes à Toronto — CBC Radio-Canada
«Newcomer Kitchen» : le partage des traditions culinaires syriennes à Toronto
Le vendredi 27 mai 2016
Quelques participantes à l’initiative Newcomer Kitchen. Photo : Jonathan Bouchard
Une initiative torontoise veut faciliter l’intégration des réfugiés syriens dans leur communauté d’accueil et ce par le biais de la nourriture. Il s’agit du projet Newcomer Kitchen. Ainsi, une fois par semaine, des réfugiés syriens se rassemblent dans la cuisine du Dépanneur, un espace culinaire de l’Ouest de Toronto où tous et toutes s’affairent à préparer des mets typiques de leur pays.
Initialement, le projet permettait aux réfugiés qui étaient encore logés à l’hôtel de se nourrir sainement. La mission s’est transformée au fil des mois. Maintenant, les participant vendent également des repas à la communauté.
Selon l’un des instigateurs du projet, le propriétaire du Dépanneur, Leonard Senater, ce projet permet d’assurer la survie de traditions culinaires de la Syrie. Ces rencontres hebdomadaires permettent également aux réfugiés de tisser des liens avec la communauté.
VIDEO: Newcomer Kitchen, une cuisine communautaire pour les réfugiés
AUDIO FIL: «Newcomer Kitchen» : le partage des traditions culinaires syriennes à Toronto
Toronto restaurant becomes Syrian home-cooking hub | Toronto Star
By KARON LIU | Food Writer
Thu., May 12, 2016
The Depanneur opens its doors to Syrian refugees itching to cook.
Inside a tiny corner west-end restaurant on a sunny Thursday afternoon, the sounds of someone playing the bongos and women singing Syrian folk songs fill the room as the dozen or so Syrian women sing and chat away at the stoves. On the burner are stockpots of cinnamon-scented beef simmering in creamy spiced yogurt. Pans of golden-brown semolina cakes are cooling on the counter, glistening with the syrup they were brushed with. These women aren’t just cooking; they’re preserving the cuisine of a country where millions of its people are being displaced.
Read the rest of the article
Newcomer Kitchen on CBC
Big thanks to Mary Wien, Matt Galloway and Errol Morris for sharing the Newcomer Kitchen story with their Metro Morning listeners & readers.
(just one note: I’m definitely not a professional chef, I just run The Dep)
AUDIO | ARTICLE
Amazing Newcomer Kitchen video by Suresh Doss
Syrian refugees find comfort at Toronto’s Depanneur – NOW Toronto Magazine
Thanks to Mary Luz Mejia and NOW Magazine for a lovely summary of The Depanneur’s fledgling Newcomer Kitchen project.
Source: NOW Toronto Magazine
Newcomer Kitchen
The last few weeks at The Dep has seen the realization of a project that an amazing group of volunteers have been working on for many weeks. The idea was simple: there were many Syrian refugee families stuck in hotels awaiting relocation, often for weeks on end, with no access to kitchens. Could we make The Dep available to them so they could cook food for their themselves and their families, in a fun, social setting?
It was more challenging than expected to find a way to connect with the community of families in the hotels, navigating bureaucratic and language barriers, but thanks to the hard work of some amazing people including Rahaf & Esmaeel Al Akabani and Yasmine Nasef from The Welcome Project, Mahmoud Allouch and Roula Ajib from the Arab Community Centre, Monica Abdelkader from COSTI, and the incredible support of Caroline Keenan, Andrea Diaz Varela, Cara Benjamin-Pace, Michelle Krasny (who also took these great photos) and Basil AlZeri, it all came together.
The day was a big success, with nearly a dozen mothers, young and old, coming together to cook and hang out and share a meal. The goal is to try and make this a regular event at The Dep, and once they get comfortable in the space, to invite them to make extra food that can be made available for sale for pick-up or delivery, providing them a revenue stream and entrepreneurial opportunity. There are still lots of logistical issues to figure out, from transportation to scheduling to child care to translation, but if today’s success is any indication, this amazing group will figure it all out.
The outpouring of support for this project has been incredible and overwhelming! Our team is working hard to be able to do this again ASAP, and to keep everyone in the loop.
To start we have set up some basic online resources for those who want to stay up-to-date on this project, or who may want to support it further once we figure out our next steps.
There is now a Facebook Group you can join:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NewcomerKitchen/
A mailing list where you can add your email:
http://eepurl.com/bYqCnj
Or you can follow it on Twitter or Instagram @newcomerkitchen
Direct inquires can be sent to newcomerkitchen@thedepanneur.ca
We will continue posting to the website, you can check in on updates here.
Newcomer Kitchen – April 20
Another amazing day, this one including a full shopping trip, and making hundreds of delicious kibbeh from scratch! A huge thanks for all the hard work of our volunteers, and to Joe’s No Frills for their generous contribution towards our groceries.
Newcomer Kitchen – Communication Basics
The outpouring of support for this project has been incredible and overwhelming! Our team is working hard to be able to do this again ASAP, and to keep everyone in the loop.
To start we have set up some basic online resources for those who want to stay up-to-date on this project, or who may want to support it further once we figure out our next steps.
There is now a Facebook Group you can join:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NewcomerKitchen/
A mailing list where you can add your email:
http://eepurl.com/bYqCnj
Or you can follow it on Twitter or Instagram @newcomerkitchen
Direct inquires can be sent to newcomerkitchen@thedepanneur.ca
We will continue posting to the website, you can check in on updates here:
http://thedepanneur.ca/category/newcomerkitchen/
Newcomer Kitchen – Day 1
Wednesday was an exciting and important day for The Dep, the realization of a project that an amazing group of volunteers have been working on for many weeks. The idea was simple: there were many Syrian refugee families stuck in hotels awaiting relocation, often for weeks on end, with no access to kitchens. Could we make The Dep available to them so they could cook food for their themselves and their families, in a fun, social setting?
It was more challenging than expected to find a way to connect with the community of families in the hotels, navigating bureaucratic and language barriers, but thanks to the hard work of some amazing people including Rahaf & Esmaeel Al Akabani and Yasmine Nasef from The Welcome Project, Mahmoud Allouch and Roula Ajib from the Arab Community Centre, and the incredible support of Caroline Keenan, Andrea Diaz Varela, Cara Benjamin-Pace, Michelle Krasny (who also took these great photos) and Basil AlZeri, it all came together.
The day was a big success, with nearly a dozen mothers, young and old, coming together to cook and hang out and share a meal. The goal is to try and make this a regular event at The Dep, and once they get comfortable in the space, to invite them to make extra food that can be made available for sale for pick-up or delivery, providing them a revenue stream and entrepreneurial opportunity. There are still lots of logistical issues to figure out, from transportation to scheduling to child care to translation, but if today’s success is any indication, this amazing group will figure it all out.
As we figure out new ways to help this project along, we may be reaching out to our community for support. To stay up to date on the project as it evolves, check in on http://thedepanneur.ca/category/newcomerkitchen/
2016: The times are a-changin’…
NOTE: if you buy Gift Certificates before Dec. 31, you’ll pay the 2015 price ($40), but can apply it towards any 2016 event!