All Sorts of Action At Newcomer Kitchen...

 

Pizza and Champagne... you bet 🍕🥂! To inaugurate our move into our new office at Centre of Social Innovation (CSI) Spadina three months ago (posting late, better than never)... thanks to a generous grant from @cityofto 🤗. I also started in my new role as Program Manager so woohoo to that too 🎉🎉🎊!

It was a hop, skip and a jump over (next door) to a much larger office (previously occupied by @nowtoronto magazine). Hardwood floors, exposed brick, light soaked, panoramic view of the skyline in a beautiful 1920s building on the top floor. We built an enclosed office space, have a large common area with a couch, big dining table (doubles as a work table) and a kitchenette that also serves as a demo cook station for various food workshops. 

Here I am with chef Mary Freij, our Willing To Work Evening Program Trainer and Sandra Lefebvre, our XP Program Coordinator in charge of our newly launched next level up program for selected W2W alumnis who have shown the most potential in starting their own food business. Over a few months, they will take various business-related workshops and take on farmer's market and catering opportunities from our returning clients and new.

Notably, in May CSI held a Career Pathways event which gathered more than 26 organizations working in newcomer and settlement services to strengthen our ecosystem and partnerships. Here with Tamara Chaikin, NK Director of Operations and Cara Benjamin-Pace, NK Executive Director.

Past graduates catered to the event who are now part of our newly launched XP Program💥!! 

The XP program were also part of the celebrations with Carleton University and their graduates, catering to a 10 years anniversary event with their Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership program at CSI Annex. We served a beautiful array of Taiwanese and Syrian finger foods, dips and petit fours with the showstopper Ukrainian honey cake from my past group Taste Elle's Liza 💗! 

Catering for film 📽🎞! 

A joint effort with both Willing To Work Food Business Program and XP Program women!

The 14th edition of The 8 Fest @the8fest (July 28th to 30th) celebrated and presented films from Toronto, across Canada and from small-gauge creators (8mm, Super 8 and 9.5mm, as well as works in installation, loops, handmade, experimental, animations, diaries, etc.,) and communities around the world. Their first annual festival was held in February 2007.

Punjabi Kala Chana Chaat (Black chickpea salad)

Moroccan Vegetarian "Candy" Cigars

We offered on their opening night an International menu of appetizers ranging from deep-fried vegetarian South Asian bites and chana chaat to Turkish meat skewers to Eritrean agelgil (injera layered with shiro chickpea stew) and meat sauce to chocolate baklava. We heard we had the loudest raving cheers when they announced us as part of the credits at the end of the night. YAY 🎬😋!

Meet chef Mary who works with me! She is the owner of Tetaskitchen.com- notably recognized on @torontolife's best 20 restaurants to eat in Toronto 2023. Who better to learn from than a food entrepreneur who did just that, coming from Dubai seven years ago. Incredible 👊💥!

Catching a glimpse of her mouth watering and economical mixed grilled platter for 2 #halal on insta, I had to give it a go. One of the highlights is “Pandan Kebab,” fusing the Southeast Asian herb with their popular customer Middle Eastern mainstays- sheesh tawouk, beef kafta, sumac fries, fresh salad and sauces (toum and tahini) atop spiced rice 😋. I also picked up their Beirut chicken wings with a spicy coriander garlic glaze and more potatoes- battata harra mixed with a spicy pomegranate sauce. Moist and flavourful all the way!

One of the fab perks of having our office at the CSI Spadina is being close to the regular action cultivated to bring members together- Tuesday community kitchen salad lunch bar, Wednesday community coffee chat and so much more 🥗☕..

Here at the first of two annual CSI laneway summer BBQ connecting members in work that supports people and planet- environment impact innovation, social injustices and empowering newcomers to name a few! Great networking event and walked away learning something new and inspired 💡🥰! 

“Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on” ~ Serena Williams

14 weeks from the very start of our 'Willing To Work' program and both evening and daytime program women graduate 🎓. Not only did they gain food savvy business skills and learn to punch out production as a team for three real life food events some have grown their language skills, confidence and fellow networking- an integral part of what we strive to do #empowerment 💥

Newcomer Kitchen trains newcomer women food preparation and entrepreneurship funded by the Immigration Refugee Citizenship of Canada (IRCC). This "learn and earn" program helps prepare their food ideas to market with all revenue generated going back in their hands. It was so incredible to see these ladies awarded with their certificates of completion alongside the money they generated (prepared take out meals, product to market and catering)... for some, it was the first time they earned money... ever! The proud look on their faces, made me so proud 🥰!

Congratulations Tasty Cultures and Sisters Multicultural Kitchen! Wishing you all the best 💖!