Migrant chef shares stories through food in Lebanon
STORY: [Anna Fernando, Sri Lankan chef]
“These are all Sir Lankan spices. I’m going to introduce all my country's spices.”
This cooking workshop in Lebanon is led by a Sri Lankan migrant
Location: Beirut, Lebanon
as part of a series called 'Flavors without Borders'
Anna Fernando taught participants how to make dishes from her home country
[Anna Fernando, Sri Lankan chef]
“Each migrant has a talent, each one knows how to do something. I know how to cook, I like to show taste. Each migrant should show what they can do, in Lebanon especially.”
[Erik Mehlhaff, German participant] (ENGLISH)
“It is really nice to have this kind of insight. Usually when you try to learn from different cultures, you go to YouTube or the internet, it is really nice to have a real-life experience with someone.”
The workshop was organized by the NGO ‘The Great Oven’
in collaboration with 'Nation Station'
After the 2020 Beirut blast, 'Nation Station' turned an abandoned car wash into a community center
where it now hosts culinary events with people from different countries
[Nour Matraji, Co-founder, The Great Oven]
"It was our goal from the beginning to have people of different nationalities, with someone from the migrant community leading the workshop and introducing the food. You don’t see this much in Lebanon, there are not enough spaces to have this communication and mingling. Also, the best way to do this is through food, because we all love to eat and it's great to get to know new cuisines.”
