GIVING BACK
We salute those who reached out to the wider community, spearheaded charitable efforts and offered practical support for the industry at large.
HARVEST BITES
Originally launched during lockdown and continuing today, this swish meal-delivery service from the always altruistic OzHarvest sees chefs from some of Sydney’s best restaurants (including Nomad, Quay, Firedoor and Spice Temple) take turns at cooking restaurant-quality meals for home diners. Each order allows OzHarvest to deliver at least 40 meals to people in need. “Harvest Bites grew from the idea of not only raising money to help support the growing number of people suffering from food insecurity, but also to get our chef ambassadors back in the kitchen,” explains OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn.
COLOMBO SOCIAL
Even before the pandemic, Colombo Social in Sydney’s Enmore had good intentions at heart – set up as a restaurant and social enterprise that supports asylum seekers and refugees transition into their new lives. When the pandemic hit, the restaurant did what it does best: help others. “When Covid struck and we were forced to shut the restaurant, Kyle Wiebe from Mission Australia reached out with a request for food relief for tenants who were left most at risk,” says co-founder Peter Jones-Best.
The team went on to cook 2000 meals a week, also distributing them through additional charities including Glebe Youth Services and Redlink Housing in Redfern. Now, Colombo Social has sent out more than 30,000 meals and launched its own kitchen training school called Ability Social, which offers a comprehensive 20-week training program and paid employment, while cooking meals for the community.
CHAT THAI COMMUNITY
Chat Thai connected with its community by providing free meals to frontline staff, including police, ambulance and fire services, as well as any staff who were stood down, and many others in need. All while preparing to open a new restaurant in Sydney’s Neutral Bay.
THE ENTREE.PINAYS
This Melbourne-based collective of Filipinas is the perfect example of a modern food movement. The collective’s mission is to educate Australians about the diversity of Filipino cuisine through food events (pre-Covid-19) and Instagram cookalongs (during Covid-19), but it also has a strong sense of social justice. “Food has been our gateway to illicit pride amongst our community, but beyond that food lets us explore issues within our community that run under the surface,” says co-founder Grace Guinto. This year, the collective joined forces with Migrante Melbourne to support Filipino international students affected by Covid-19 restrictions, by selling calamansi trees (native Filipino citrus) and drumming up financial support from local chefs, restaurant owners and its connected followers. “Food is the reason why Entree.Pinays exists. So when food becomes so insecure for someone, how can we truly celebrate food without recognising the hardship for others.”
ATTICA SOUP PROJECT
When Attica owner Ben Shewry and food writer
Dani Valent learnt that temporary visa holders were excluded from government assistance they sought to make soup with serious soul. When ordering Attica’s in-home menu, Melburnians can choose to add on a Thai-inspired chicken broth – $5 of the sale goes towards feeding unemployed hospitality workers on temporary visas.