Cookery classes by migrant chefs who have struggled integrating to society due to legal or linguistic barriers.

WORDS FROM MIGRATEFUL

Migrateful helps refugees and asylum seekers on their journey to employment and independence and promotes integration. It runs cookery classes led by migrant chefs struggling to integrate and access employment due to legal and linguistic barriers. The cookery classes provide ideal conditions not just for learning English and building confidence, but also for promoting contact and cultural exchange with the wider community.

The idea

The founder of Migrateful has many years’ experience working with refugees, in Ceuta, Morocco and Dunkirk, France as well as in East London. The idea was borne out of discussions with a group of refugee women at a Time Bank project in Tower Hamlets. The women in the group were all very qualified, yet were unemployed because of language barriers and their qualifications were not recognised in the UK. When asked about the skills they could share with the group, many of them said they could cook. Later, as everyone sat sharing their various traditional foods, and discussing what they could do, the Migrateful idea was born. The cooking skills of the refugee and migrant community and our universal love of food could be harnessed to bring people together.

Chef training

We train our chefs through weekly workshops, taking them on a journey from “passionate home cook” to “confident cookery class teacher.” Sessions begin with English conversation or confidence building exercises. Participants then take turns teaching the rest of the group how to cook their traditional cuisine, before all sitting down together to share the meal they have prepared. Participants build connections and work on further developing their English.

Cookery classes

When our chefs feel ready, they deliver evening cookery classes to paying customers, supported by Migrateful. These paid classes take place in cafes, or customers can host a class in their own home for themselves and their friends. Each class lasts around three hours, with an average of ten paying participants per class. Since Migrateful was founded in July 2017, we have run 180 cookery classes with 1800 participants and now have 16 chefs from Iran, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Albania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ecuador and Cuba teaching their cuisines regularly.

Website: https://www.migrateful.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/migratefuluk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/migratefuluk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/migratefulUK/

Email: Bookings@migrateful.org

WHAT YOU CAN FIND AT MIGRATEFUL

Online cookery classes, In-Person cookery classes, Turkish cookery class, Syrian cookery class, Pakistani cookery class, Ecuadorian cookery class, Jamaican cookery class, Nigerian cookery class, Iranian cooker class, Gambian cookery class, Angolan cookery class, Ghanaian cookery class, Ukranian cookery class, Bengali cooker class, Sudanese cookery class, Vegetarian cooking, Vegan cooking, Pescatarian cooking.