My Plate, Your Plate
My Plate, Your Plate is a storytelling and community arts cooking project where participants share recipes and stories that are taken into the public realm through an interactive storytelling food cart. The project builds relationships between local residents and people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds, breaking down social isolation, building cultural awareness and solidarity. Our cart was launched on 23 April 2022 and continues to tour around the inner west and beyond.
Film directed and edited by Sam Phibbs, 2022
The project is a partnership between the Community Refugee Welcome Centre, Community Wellbeing, Settlement Services International, Local Artists and Living Arts - see more below in the background tab.
The Community Refugee Welcome Centre (CRWC) opened in 2017. It is the only welcome centre of its kind in Sydney NSW. The CRWC provides a creative and empowering place for connection between the local community and refugees, and people seeking asylum through a range of programs in a safe and supportive space.
During the first COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 physical workshops stopped but we remained active through an online Whatsapp chat group, sharing recipes and stories and checking in with each other about safety and spirits.
In 2020 once restrictions were lifted we got to work sewing elements (with master sewer Elham Marvi) of the cart that Tasman Munro (social designer) had been busy building during lockdown. We also got a chance to hear the stories that Caitlin Gibson (audio engineer) had edited - we also recorded more stories with new members. In 2021 we offered the group Food Safety Supervisors training with TAFE NSW as well as ensuring we will be providing safe food practices we are furthering the skills, knowledge and opportunities for our participants with possible pathways to employment, a great outcome!
The group has built confidence in speaking English and learning about Australian and many other cultures and traditions from around the world.
Photo credit: Shane Rozario 2022
Recipes and stories
Click through to see the recipes and to listen to the stories.
Background
The My Plate, Your Plate project was initiated by past project participants of the Tapestry Friendship Project at the Community Refugee Welcome Centre (CRWC). Participants wanted to maintain the relationships made during this project – and food and sharing stories was the perfect fit. To learn more about the CRWC please visit this page.
The My Plate, Your Plate project comprises:
- local inner west residents,
- participants from refugee and asylum seeker background who use the Community Refugee Welcome Centre (CRWC),
- social designer Tasman Munro,
- audio engineer Caitlin Gibson,
- master sewer, Elham Marvi,
- TAFE NSW, Food Safety (Nutrition and Catering)
- Community Refugee Welcome Centre Coordinator, Moones Mansoubi and
- Community Arts Project Officer, Raffaela Cavadini.
Members of the group shared recipes that have a connection to their life or culture and share a short story about the recipe (following the principles of ethical storytelling). The stories were recorded and edited by Caitlin Gibson.
Our social designer Tasman worked with project participants to design a small portable ‘pop up’ style cart to take to events where the general public can listen to a story and try some of the food shared throughout the program. This element of the program contributes to creating a culturally rich community, celebrates positive cross-cultural relationships and harmony. The cart aims to increase cultural awareness and cultural appreciation throughout the inner west and beyond. Check out the video below of Tasman's design that has been developed in collaboration with project participants. You can read more about Tasman here.
We shared some of our recipes and written stories as a taster for Refugee Week 2020. See the recipes and stories here.
Artist impression of completed cart
Image gallery