Our Table

Our Table

Community Food Award

BY ALI DUNWORTH

We often talk of the power of connecting through food. The simple act of sharing a meal can bring people together and it’s exactly this philosophy that inspired Ellie Kisyombe and Michelle Darmody to set up Our Table in 2016.

Malawian Ellie, a former asylum seeker, met café owner and food writer Michelle Darmody while doing volunteer work in the Irish Refugee Council. They bonded over food and their outrage at how deeply flawed the system of Direct Provision is, with Ellie having first hand experience of living through it herself. Together they set up Our Table, a community-based, social enterprise where they fixed on using food as a way to connect, start a conversation and draw attention to the realities of those living in Direct Provision.

They began by running a series of pop-up activities aimed at generating awareness about conditions within the Direct Provision system, firstly opening a café in Project Arts Centre. This proved to be very successful and garnered them some much-needed press attention. They went on to run pop-ups and take part in events at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Christchurch Cathedral and at various festivals. The catering events and pop-up jobs had the added advantage of providing immigrants with employment and helping them to develop their culinary and hospitality skills. Our Table has continued to cater and run pop-up events, create nurturing and empathic spaces where people can learn skills, get paid a wage and gain knowledge of the Irish food industry.

THIS IS FOR ALL OF US ASYLUM SEEKERS HERE IN IRELAND. IT MEANS A LOT.

With so much upheaval in the hospitality industry over the last couple of years, the focus had to change. Still with food and cooking at the forefront, Our Table has switched to getting as much good, wholesome food to those living in emergency accommodation and Direct Provision Centres. On Christmas Day they fed over 350 people. They also delivered over 900 hampers, gift parcels and presents of kettles and toasters, thanks to some generous donors and plenty of hard work fundraising from the team.

Our Table has also been working to build a network of food businesses and supporters willing to support the project in many ways. In 2021 Ellie brought Our Table to Taste of Dublin for a week, showcasing the great work they are doing and promoting the food businesses that have evolved from Our Table, including her own venture Ellie’s Kitchen. During lockdown in 2021 Ellie launched this new brand, making an African-inspired, Irishmade hot sauce range. She continues to make the sauces, with a percentage of every purchase donated back to Our Table.

Our Table have joined forces with Nando’s for a pilot refugee integration program kicking off in 2022 and other plans include setting up a new kitchen that will be used for their many projects and ongoing training, cooking and mentoring. Ellie also continues to tirelessly promote and fundraise for Our Table and mentor other businesses set up by asylum seekers and refugees in Ireland.

ourtable.ie

Aunt Monica’s crowd charming fried rice

Recipe by Ellie Kisyombe.

Please allow me to introduce you to my Auntie Monica, Mrs Chitawo, who took care of me after I lost both my parents. I like to say that she had magic in her hands. She had many rice recipes for breakfast, savoury and dessert. She charmed the crowds by cooking up a storm at weddings, funerals, birthdays, Christmases and even presidential dinners. I believe that at least half of the citizens of Malawi’s capital city have been served one of her dishes. I hope you enjoy this recipe that Auntie Monica would make from time to time, and always with love. It is one of her best!

MAKES 2½ CUPS.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 clove of garlic, sliced

1 cup jasmine rice

1½ cups water

½ cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup caramelised onions

A pinch of salt

Get a nice clean round pan, place it on the fire (medium heat for cookers) and add the olive oil. Once the oil is heated, add garlic and turn it for a few minutes until golden brown.

Toss the jasmine rice in the garlic oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Once the rice is fully incorporated into the fried garlic and olive oil, add the water and cinnamon stick. Place a lid on the pan.

Once the water starts boiling the rice tends to get sticky so remember to gently stir - but make sure you don’t overdo it to avoid creating a risotto. After three to five minutes of stirring let it cook for at least ten more minutes, or until the water dries out.

Add the caramelised onion and use a fork or a wooden spoon to toss it around, so the onions settle well into the rice. Let it simmer for two to three minutes. By that time the rice will be ready to serve.

Now you can eat! You can enjoy this rice with anything: meat, fish, beans and any vegetables. The rice itself is vegan and can be eaten on its own.