London: At the Migrateful cookery school in central London, chefs Naji and Sanobar help their colleague Siriana Faten return home to teach family recipes to a group of young professionals.
Participants are divided into pairs, and each team is assigned to make one of the six dishes on the menu, including tabbouleh, chicken shawarma, and a sweet dish with fries.
Naji and Sanobar are on hand to guide and even help, as the open plan kitchen echoes with chatting, chopping, clattering of pots and pans, and the sound of vegetables simmering in oil.
Traditional Middle Eastern music is played, and at the end of the three-hour class, students and teachers enjoy the fruits of their labor together.
For Naji, an artist who fled Afghanistan when the Taliban returned to power in 2021, cooking and sharing food among strangers creates a sense of camaraderie that brings people together.
“When you cook and share food together, you build a bond. When you eat together, you learn something from people. You learn about their culture, what they do in their lives. You learn from them as well,” he told AFP.
Naji arrived in the UK in June 2022 after a perilous nine-month journey that saw him sleep on bridges and railway stations in Iran, Turkey, Greece and France.
At first he settled in the British government in south London and found it difficult to work or study and live with foreigners.
“The first few months I was very sad. I stayed in my room a lot,” he said.
But his mood changed and his depression lifted when he joined Migrateful, a charity that works mainly with refugees and migrants.
“I’m really impressed. Everyone is so nice,” she said, although she admitted she was nervous at first.
He knew he had a knack for cooking when a childhood friend asked him to cook. But now he trained “like a pro”.
When he receives refugee status in September 2023, he is no longer prohibited from working and can earn an income by teaching and catering in his private home.
Masak Najee, who prefers not to give his full name, offers an introduction to his creativity.
“The food not only tastes good, but also looks good,” he said.
Sanobar Majidova left her native Uzbekistan for England to provide a better education for her children. One year after the arrival of the year 2019, the key begins.
“My English is zero. I’m at home with four children, it’s very difficult,” she said.
She scours the internet for new recipes to cook for her kids every day to make them happy.
After hearing about Migrateful through a friend, she realized she could turn her passion for cooking into a career.
Now, there is nothing better than teaching others how to cook pilaf, a traditional rice dish named “King of Food” by UNESCO in 2016.
Jess Thompson, co-founder of Migrateful, said: “We support migrants who come to the UK and struggle to integrate, don’t speak English or are barred from working legally.”
“We’ve had about 38 different nationalities so far, so lots of interesting dishes.”
The main ethnic groups employed are forced migrants from countries in the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
“They feel socially isolated when they get there, so Migrateful offers them a safe haven.
“They have a community. They have self-confidence and self-esteem because they feel they have something to offer the country. They feel respected and respected.”
Many chefs work full-time in restaurants or own their own food business.
For Thompson, Migrateful enables host communities to accommodate refugees and change their negative attitudes towards migration.
“When you meet them and have this meaningful interaction and share a meal together, you see them as another person and not a threat anymore.
“Migration will always be part of our lives, so we must find ways to celebrate it and do something positive for our society.
“London would be nowhere without the contribution of migrants.”
