Community kitchens celebrated with cookbook
A RECIPE book born out of solidarity and resilience was launched through efforts by Community Action Networks (CANs).
On Saturday, CANs from across the City gathered at Gogo’s Kitchen in Gugulethu for the launch of Dala Kitchen, an initiative by the Connecting CAN from Cape Town Together.
CAN incubator supporting CANS, Kentse Radebe, said the gathering was to celebrate all the work community kitchens had championed over the past 18 months, and to highlight the resilience of CAN volunteers who had continued to mobilise resources and feed hundreds of people daily using the recipes from the book.
CAN members, organisers and social justice workers shared stories in the book about how they supported neighbours and communities during the pandemic.
CAN incubator, Pamela Silwana, said: “There aren’t only recipes but stories that reflect the reality of tackling the Covid-19 pandemic in the face of extreme precariousness and inequality in Cape Town, while also showing the power of social solidarity, care and collaboration.
“The recipes came from CAN community kitchens all over Cape Town. Many are long-standing, trusted recipes that are designed to cater for hundreds of people while still emphasising taste and nutritional value.”
The books are not for sale but will be given to local libraries and to people who are part of the CANs.
“... but if someone wants to make a contribution they can get a cooking experience at any CAN who created a recipe,” Silwana said.
Salt River CAN and Cape Town Together member, Leanne Brady, said: “Dala Kitchen is a celebration of the work of Cape Town Together. It is a collection of recipes and stories from CANs and CAN community kitchens across the city. It gives a taste of some of the work CANs have done to respond to the pandemic.”
She said a limited number of copies would be distributed at CAN launches across the city and a digital version would be made available soon.