Newcomer Kitchen project gives Syrian refugees a taste of home in Toronto | The Globe and Mail

Four-year-old Jore Almasri poses outside the Depanneur, where her mom is inside taking cooking with other Syrian women. (Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail)

Four-year-old Jore Almasri poses outside the Depanneur, where her mom is inside taking cooking with other Syrian women. (Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail)

 

Newcomer Kitchen project gives Syrian refugees a taste of home in Toronto

by MAHNOOR YAWAR — The Globe and Mail

Sinaa Fakhereddin does not like eggs. She makes that clear to a kitchen full of strangers when she is asked to add an egg to the pot on the stove. Never in her life has she made sauce with eggs and she’s not about to start now. The other women are tense, not willing to argue with a 67-year-old woman who has seen more and done more than any of them.

“Mom, just add the egg. It doesn’t matter,” mutters 27-year-old Muhammed Aboura, laughing.

Ms. Fakhereddin arrived in Toronto just a week ago to join her son, who has been here a year. The two are Syrian refugees sponsored by members of the United Church of Canada, and they are keenly aware that they haven’t gone through the hardships that many others in the kitchen have, most of whom are on government assistance.

Mr. Aboura is just relieved to have his mother here, safe and protected from the Syrian regime. “I got to eat my mother’s cooking for the first time in three years last week. I couldn’t stop crying,” he says.

He watches her carefully, ready to jump in and help communicate if necessary. He spent time researching how to help newly arrived women adjust to life in Canada, and it led him to the Newcomer Kitchen.

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Newcomer Kitchen FundRazr is live!

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THIS IS IT! Our FundRazr campaign is live!
If the Newcomer Kitchen project has touched you in any way, then this is your chance to be a part of creating an opportunity for joy, pride and dignity.

Please support us in any way you can, and share this post, and help us to make our world a more delicious place to be.

https://fundrazr.com/newcomerkitchenTO

Newcomer Kitchen at Luminato!

Newcomer Kitchen at Luminato Festival

LuminatoLast week, Joshna Maharaj, a local food superhero and this year’s Food Programmer of the Luminato Festival reached out to us and invited the Newcomer Kitchen to participate in the Neighbourhood Food Festival — a free, two-day street party set up across from Union Station. To make this possible, we have partnered with Vanessa Yu of CaterToronto, and Syrian chef/entrepreneur Hiyam Samara of the beloved Akram’s Shoppe in Kensington Market. It’s amazing to think that our cooks — in just a few short weeks — will be part of one of Canada’s largest and most prestigious cultural festivals, serving over 1000 (!) people alongside some of Toronto’s top chefs and restaurants.

The Neighbourhood Food Festival is on Saturday, June 18 (12pm-8pm) and Sunday, June 19 (12pm-6pm), on Front Street, across from Union Station.

fatayer sfeeha

Our Newcomer cooks will be making 2 types of fatayer — the likely ancestor of all modern “pizzas” — following traditional recipes from the As-Suwayda region in southwestern Syria. Soft, hand-rolled dough is topped with either spiced ground beef, tomatoes, parsley and pine nuts (Sfeeha  صفيحة), or with a uniquely Syrian combination of spicy pepper paste, walnuts, mint and olive oil (Harra  حارة ), and served with some fresh vegetables on the side. We will also include a small square of Sfouf صفوف, a delicious golden semolina cake with turmeric, anise and pistachio. Access to the event is free and open to the public, with each food dish priced at $6. Come down and support these amazing ladies and their incredible achievement!

We will be back at The Dep next week with more amazing Syrian meals for sale.

Huffington Post videos garner over 140K views!

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Huffington Post Canada‘s Facebook Live broadcast, and their touching 1-minute mini-video summary of the Newcomer Kitchen project have together reached over 140,000 views and 5,000 likes on Facebook alone!