The Chickpea Sisters – a catering company run by refugee and migrant women

The Chickpea Sisters is a new, Tooting-based catering company formed by refugee and migrant women from countries including Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Somalia, Senegal, Iraq, Eritrea and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The women cook the food of their home countries for events such as parties, weddings and supper clubs.
 

“Refugee and migrant women come to the UK with many useful skills and talents,” says Andreja Mesaric, Women’s Project Coordinator for The Chickpea Sisters, “but often find that there are obstacles preventing them from realising their full potential. These can be language barriers, lack of confidence or lack of support networks. However, with a little support this potential can be unlocked, and refugee and migrant women can create businesses that are greatly beneficial to the economy, the communities around them and society as a whole.“
 

For the Chickpea Sisters, tackling the social issues that refugee and migrant women face is equally important as profit, and the enterprise has allowed them to gain experience in the catering industry whilst using and expanding on their existing skills. The Chickpea Sisters hope that their project can be an inspiration for other social enterprises.

Satisfied customers have praised the group on their professionalism as well as the quality of the food. They have been particularly impressed by the variety of new tastes and flavours on offer, and the willingness of the chefs to provide a unique insight into their cultures by describing the origins of the dishes. One Supper Club customer described the event he attended as having “all the best qualities of a successful international blind date. We encountered lashings of food we didn’t know, in the company of like-minded people wanting to help the charity we didn’t know, gaining insights into a culture we didn’t know, without having to get on a plane.”

The Chickpea Sisters will be catering for many more events and supper clubs in the future. In particular look out for an upcoming supper club collaboration with successful pop up Papi’s Pickles.

For more information, contact Rachel White via email at hello@thechickpeasisters.com or call on 020 8767 5378

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