Cooking #WithRefugees: This World Refugee Day, Greek and refugee chefs show what solidarity and cooperation mean
Cooking #WithRefugees: This World Refugee Day, Greek and refugee chefs show what solidarity and cooperation mean
Shaimaa and Yannis are preparing the Iraqi kabsah in the kitchen of Ustura restaurant in Thessaloniki.
Οn the occasion of World Refugee Day, the beloved cooking event Cooking #WithRefugees is coming back to the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki on 19 and 20 June presenting new collaborations and culinary experiences.
Through this celebration of culinary coexistence, organized by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Greek and refugee chefs join forces, share flavours, aromas and memories from their home countries and propose delicious dishes that hide unique stories from Greece, Ukraine, Iraq and Alexandria, Egypt.
Athens: Friday 20 June, Myrtillo café, from 6 p.m.
On World Refugee Day, Cooking #WithRefugees participates in the Community Celebration organized by the Refugee Week Greece culture festival at Ambelokipi - KAPAPS Park. At the welcoming café and multi-purpose venue of the Social Cooperative Enterprise Myrtillo, where most of the staff are people with disabilities, the soul of the café and well-travelled hostess Isidora Antoniou will welcome the experienced cook Galina Martinenko from Ukraine. Galina's famous pirozhki filled with minced meat and potato, which bring love to those who try them, as she says, will meet Isidora's handmade Greek pastries. A surprise traditional Ukrainian dessert will also await guests. This special collaboration has the support of the Union of Ukrainian Women in Greece and the Candy Cat restaurant.
Isidora (right) from Myrtillo cafe welcomes Galina (left) in their kitchen and are ready getting ready to prepare Ukrainian and Greek pastries for World Refugee Day as part of the Refugee Week Greece festival.
Thessaloniki: Thursday 19 June, Ustura, from 1 p.m. | Friday 20 June, Argofageio, from 8 p.m.
This year Cooking #WithRefugees presents an original experience in Thessaloniki! Shaimaa Al Kinani, who introduced Iraqi cuisine to the citizens of Thessaloniki through Ustura, the restaurant that she recently opened in the city centre, and Yannis Katsantonis, the soul of Argofageio, who has been teaching for decades what honest and well-cooked food means, exchange recipes!
On 19 June at Ustura we are invited to try the pilaf with eggplants, a recipe of Yannis cooked by Shaimaa. Yannis usually cooks this dish in memory of his “second father”, who was a Greek from Alexandria, Egypt and always liked to have it on his table.
Shaimaa in turn shared with Yiannis the secrets of her recipe for kabsah, a special Iraqi dish of chicken, rice and lime, which she learned from her mother. On 20 June we will enjoy it from the hands of Yannis at Argofageio. Together, the two chefs will greet their guests at each restaurant, ready to convey the “memory of taste,” which, as Yannis says, is what ultimately lingers behind from what we shared with our loved ones.
Join us this World Refugee Day!
Every year on 20 June, we commemorate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. The Cooking #WithRefugees event aims to highlight that when refugees have the opportunity to integrate and work on their talents and skills, they are able to restart their lives with hope and dignity and contribute to their host communities. We are waiting for you!
See more about World Refugee Day 2025 here: https://www.unhcr.org/gr/events/world-refugee-day-2025