Making a difference
Celebrity chef Silvena Rowe leads a group of volunteers to prepare a sumptuous spread for a special cause. Shreeja Ravindranathan reports
Friday’s domestic diva Silvena Rowe cooks up a storm to raise awareness about autism.
Silvena Rowe, Friday’s very own Domestic Diva, is giving orders. Around her is an army of cooks cutting, chopping, stirring and slicing. Oil hisses and water boils merrily while the staccato of opening and closing drawers in the hunt for utensils sets a rhythm for the banter and bonhomie between chefs Silvena and Tomas Reger and their team for the day. The TV chef might sometimes struggle to be heard above the cacophony of pots and pans, but the aroma coming from the kitchen is distinctly mouth-watering.
Negar Zahiri and Nathalie Cockayne have just removed their first batch of cookies from the oven and it’s an exercise in self-control that stops the friends from sneaking a couple.
“Please move, I’m getting the tortillas,’’ yells Caitlin Lavell, racing across the kitchen with a tray before rushing back to listen to Silvena and Tomas’s tips for making a perfect starter.
All this preparation is for something special: Cooking for the Community – a charitable event organised by Lime&Tonic, the Praguebased online concierge website that is gaining a strong clientele in Dubai.
The amateur chefs have paid Dh350 to learn how to cook a three-course meal and all proceeds from the event are to go to the Dubai Autism Centre.
The guests of honour who are going to enjoy the sumptuous spread are children and adults from the Dubai Autism Centre and Mawaheb (an art studio for adults with special needs) plus their families.
Neither chef thought twice about lending their culinary expertise to the event, with Silvena explaining, “When Lime&Tonic approached me and told me about this I was quite excited and immediately agreed. I believe cooking is a great way to raise money for such a worthwhile cause. Especially sincemy specialities are gluten-free, fat-free and sugarfree desserts, which fit in perfectly with the dietary requirements of many people with special needs.”
Lime&Tonic came up with the idea and decided to hold the event simultaneously at its branches in Melbourne, Sydney, Prague, London, Amsterdam and Dubai. Tariq Sanad, the managing director in Dubai, says, “It’s different from what we regularly do in that here, apart from raising money for charity, we’re having our members actually participate and serve the guests.’’
Dutch-British mother-daughter duo Bianca and Caitlin Lavell are among those who’ve signed up for the event. Nine-year-old Caitlin, who’s mother is a member of the online service, is clearly not intimidated being the only child here and is prepping for the lentil salad verrines starter, peering over the counter top, making mental notes of Silvena’s baking tips, and setting the table for the 10 guests who will be arriving in three hours.
“This year I’ve decided to give away all my Christmas present money to charity,” she says. “I realised I have enough presents. I wanted to do something more, so I signed up for this.”
Mum Bianca adds, “We thought it would be nice for Caitlin to see where her donation is going and we love cooking so we thought we’d join in.”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
What: A meal for special needs children and their families Where: Dubai
When: November 30
Who: Lime&Tonic, a concierge service
A personal issue
The fact that the proceeds are going to an organisation focusing on autism is a bonus for financial administrator Bianca as her eightyear-old son, Robert, has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
“He attends a regular school,” she says. “It’s great that he can manage his condition but it’s
even better that we can help people who are more seriously affected than he is.”
Lime&Tonic’s affiliation with the Dubai Autism Centre and its desire to generate awareness about autism also stems from a personal connection. Tariq explains, “My
‘It’s great he can manage his condition but it’s even better that we can help people who are more seriously affected than he’
mother was a social worker in Bahrain and she used to be involved in a lot of charity drives raising funds for the treatment of autistic children. One of my close friends has three brothers who are autistic. So it’s also a personal part of me that wanted to support this cause through our organisation.”
It’s a sentiment that echoes around the Miele Gallery – a display space for the kitchen equipment in Dubai, part of which has been converted into a kitchenette – as the volunteers create a three-course meal that includes lentil salad and pumpkin tortillas for starters; meatballs with homemade pasta for mains and flourless chocolate cookies and orange almond cake for dessert.
The heat is on
As the minutes tick by, the little hall is transformed into a chic, cosy dining area which has been tastefully decorated by the participants. They pay close attention to every detail, from flowers and candles to the cutlery.
“I’m a little nervous,” Caitlin says. “I hope everybody likes the food we have prepared.” Husband and wife Marcia and Trevor Marshall from New Zealand look at the clock.
They have just 20 minutes to go before the guests arrive. They keep their fingers crossed, hoping that the pasta they are still making will be ready. At 6pm, as one of the guests of honour, Anju, walks in, the volunteers welcome her warmly. She is curious about the process of plating up and Tomas and his apprentices offer to demonstrate this fine art, while Marcia and Caitlin rush to serve her drinks.
Soon Anju is joined by her friends and fellow residents at Mawaheb, Jack and Leila, who are accompanied by their families.
Once the guests are shown to their seats, the participants begin serving.
Guest Leila Murgian is unable to contain her pleasure at how perfect everything is. “I have to make a call home to tell my family about the new friends I made here and the fantastic food we are tucking into,’’ she says. She also manages to get every volunteer and chef to sign her menu card and give her a hug.
Randa Murgian, Leila’s sister, is thrilled at how the event has turned out. “The fact that she could dress up and go out for an evening, have a meal with other people, and especially people she also knows from Mawaheb, is definitely the highlight for Leila,” she says.
As well as the actual meal, Randa is delighted with the message an event like this spreads. “There are lots of people in the world like these kids and young adults with disabilities and it’s events like this which emphasise how important they are as part of the community.”
The chefs and volunteers join the families over dinner. Caitlin is quick to make friends
with Jack, a boy with special needs, and his sister. “Jack loves the cookies so much he wouldn’t let them go! I understand why – they’re so delicious they’re my favourite too,” she says.
The chefs are also pleased with how the meal is going. “I’m glad I could interact with people with special needs. This has been such a great day,” smiles Tomas.
There’s just time for a slice of Silvena’s legendary orange almond cake, and smiles of appreciation as the flourless chocolate chip cookies are polished off by volunteers and guests alike. Then the event is over, and the little gallery is a bustle of farewells, last-minute pictures for Instagram, and promises made between new friends to stay in touch.
Caitlin has a list of new contacts she will tell her friends at school about.
The guests, too, vow to come back for the next Cooking for the Community event.
Randa says, “My sister and I will definitely come and I’ll bring more of my friends.”
Chef Silvena is all smiles, happy that everything went off so well.
“I’d love to do this every year,’’ she says. “Raising awareness about autism is a cause I really care about.’’