Refugee Week 2023: All About The Cooks

Find out how All About The Cooks is embodying ‘Compassion in Action’ on Refugee Week 2023 by making it easier for talented cooks from refugee and migrant backgrounds to enter the food industry. Our latest story is from All About The Cooks’ Ben White.

Refugee Week 2023, the week that “enables people who have sought safety in the UK to share their experiences, perspectives and creative work on their own terms” is coming to an end. As it draws to close, we look back on this week’s theme of compassion – more specifically, ‘Compassion in Action’.  

At All About The Cooks, we are fortunate to work with a number of refugee and migrant home-cooks. Recently, we have been able to work with even more talented refugees and migrants through our highly valued collaboration with ACH (Ashley Community & Housing) – a non-for-profit organisation which is doing an incredible job “building a better future for refugees and migrants in the UK”.  

ACH enables refugees and migrants to access opportunities and support that empowers them to enjoy fulfilling lives in their new surroundings. Through our collaboration, we are empowering individuals with aspirations to work in the food industry by enabling them to sell through profiles set up on our online marketplace.  

So far, we have helped three aspiring food business entrepreneurs to start selling food from their own kitchens – Nesrin, Salha and Navid. 

Hear from Nesrin and Salha 

Nesrin in Old Market, Bristol 

Originally from Cairo, Nesrin joined All About The Cooks to sell a variety of dishes, such as Egypt’s National Dish called Kosheri, Bamya – an Okra Stew – and many more… 

Recently, Nesrin provided food at the Bristol Good Food 2030 Framework launch, sold food at St Nicholas Market, and catered at Rocket Man’s veg launch at Grow Wilder! 

She says: “They are incredible and help me with every step of the way. A big thank you to Izzy, Claire and the entire team for their support.” 

“All About The Cooks is the best way for anyone to start a food business, and they really put a lot into promoting it!”

Salha in Redcliffe, Bristol 

Salha is a Sudanese home-cook in Redcliffe, Bristol (BS1). She cooks a wide selection of traditional Sudanese recipes inherited from her father. 

Since joining All About The Cooks in March 2023, Salha has gone from strength to strength, taking in large orders for events as well as individual orders through the platform. 

When talking about her experience on the platform, Salha says: “All of my customers order through the platform and I get lots of good feedback!” 

“All About The Cooks makes my life happier, and it’s really easy to work with them. My clients especially find it really easy to order.” 

What’s Next? 

We are continually looking for more home-cooks to join the platform and we’re looking forward to continuing our collaboration with ACH, enabling more individuals to sell their food through our platform and make money on their own terms. 

Read more about Nesrin and Salha on the Bristol Good Food 2030 blog: A taste of Sudan: Salha’s story and A taste of Egypt: Nesrin’s story.