Kitchen on the Run

Imagine Ahmed and Giuseppe roll out sheets of lasagne together in Bari (Italy) and Lieke and Yasmin jointly prepare tabouleh and hummus in Deventer (Netherlands). Imagine tasty friendships all over Europe.

Every day we are confronted with the topics of escape and asylum. But who are these people searching for a new home in Europe?
In Berlin we established a permanent space, called the Kitchen Hub, to encourage communication and integration. Our satellite communities in almost twenty German cities help spread the concept of 'Über den Tellerrand' beyond Berlin. We now want to bring together refugees and locals all over Europe in our mobile kitchen container. Through cooking and eating together we hope to create ties and initiate dialogue on an equal level.

In March 2016 the kitchen container will start its journey from Italy to Sweden. We plan to stay four weeks at a specific location within each of the following countries: Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, to cook and eat together with refugees and locals on a daily basis. We want that both groups get the chance to be hosts for a day, allowing them to share a piece of their culture with their new neighbours and get to know each other. We want to bridge the gap between newcomers and locals and break up parallel societies.

The exchange within Europe is important for us as well. Every country is handling the situation in a different way. The expectations and hopes, as well as the fears and worries, of the refugees and locals are similar. We hope to connect organisations, associations and individuals Europe-wide and spread stories, recipes and ideas across borders.

To connect peoples, it always needs a first step, someone who builds a first bridge and a allows a first dialogue. The Kitchen on the Run project establishes first ties between newcomers and locals in five European countries and gives the opportunity to break down barriers and prejudices to lay the foundation for a more open society and an equal cooperation. We see Kitchen on the Run as a lighthouse project to inspire, motivate and encourage people throughout Europe.

We want to give people across Europe a fresh and positive perspective on the refugee issue to bring the abstract concepts of asylum and migration on a human level. We hope to raise awareness of the wealth of culture amongst our fellow humans; give points of contact; and promote humanity.

Cooking together will help us...
... get to know each other as human beings.
... raise interest and curiosity of foreign cultures.
... reduce prejudices and barriers.
... take a step closer to one another.

Our kitchen is a place for refugees and locals. It is a place for first encounters. For cooking adventures. For good conversations.
For a common “We” in Europe.

Why should you support this project?
Everywhere in Europe refugees are the current topic of conversation, but which of us has really gotten to know a refugee or asked their story? Prejudice and clichés still prevail.

You support us because you...
... welcome refugees in Europe!
... want to reduce prejudice and bring human beings together!
... want to try recipes to bring Europe together!
... find our dishes tasty!
... want to see Europe cooking beyond its borders!

#makeEuropeABetterPlate

Kitchen on the Run is a big project with a total budget of around 115,000 Euro. We have already received 100,000 Euro in donations as well as multiple material contributions.

Now we need to raise the last 15,000 Euro, so that:

• 100 cooking events at our five locations throughout Europe can take place.
• at least 2000 people can cook and eat together at our kitchen table.
• our kitchen container can be transported quickly and safely to all five destinations.
• we can pay for the travel expenses and accommodation of our volunteers.
• we can reach as many people as possible in Europe through public relations, flyers and posters - personally and digital.

If we reach our funding goal we will successfully be able to carry out our journey to its full extent. If we exceed it we will hold even more and bigger cooking events bringing together even more people around our kitchen table. We would also invest the money in the video documentary of our journey as well as into a cookbook.