Everybody Eats Wellington will be dishing up delicious cultural foods at their Taste of Community nights as part of NZ Former Refugee Week celebrations.

Running from 17-23 June, NZ Former Refugee Week is a celebration of former refugees' contributions to art, culture, and society in Aotearoa.

Founded in 1998, the week aims to foster connections and share experiences among people from diverse backgrounds. It seeks to challenge stereotypes, encouraging better understanding and compassion for former refugees as valued members of our local communities.

This year’s theme is 'Our Home' – from the places we gather to share meals to our collective home, planet earth. During this week, everyone is invited to celebrate what ‘Our Home’ means to them.

From 17-20 June, the kitchen at Everybody Eats Wellington will be taken over by chefs from the former refugee communities. These meals will be served for koha, allowing everyone to dine together and enjoy the flavours of diverse cultures.

Wellington City Council is a proud supporter of the refugee community through the provision of support, funding and resources.

“We hope these events encourage kōrero about how people become displaced and raise awareness around the challenges refugees face when seeking a safe home,” says Mayor Tory Whanau.

Everybody Eats Wellington is excited to host the event next week says Restaurant Manager Jack Rainey.

“A lot of our clientele are former refugees, so it’s really special to host them and the rest of the community that supports us.

“It’s also important to highlight their plight and celebrate the diversity they bring to our city, while extending the Everybody Eats kaupapa of feeding bellies not bins.”

Each community will be supported by the Everybody Eats head chef and kitchen volunteers, as they design their menus, prepare and cook their courses, and also run the service.

Everybody Eats event schedule:

• Monday 17 June 6pm – 8pm: Run by the Syrian Community
• Tuesday 18 June 6pm – 8pm: Run by the Sri Lankan Community
• Wednesday 19 June 6pm – 8pm: Run by the Burmese Community
• Thursday 20 June 6pm – 8pm: Run by the Colombian Community, accompanied by an event hosted by Voice of Aroha filled with stories and poems. NB: this is a ticketed event, email info@voiceofaroha.org.nz to book a seat.

Everybody Eats is located at LTD Level 1, 60 Dixon Street, Te Aro, with the capacity of 180 people per event.

Other events happening around Wellington for NZ Former Refugee Week includes a five-day run of ‘White Rabbit Red Rabbit’, a play produced by the New Zealand Refugee Youth Council performed by a different refugee background actor each night.

And the Newtown Community Centre will host a Refugee Week Free Soup Friday on 21 June at 1pm.

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