Following the success of #CookForSyria in the UK, Australian chefs will come together for a nationwide fundraising initiative in aid of UNICEF Australia’s Syria Crisis Appeal for Children.
A month-long campaign will begin on Monday 27 February with a charity dinner held at Three Blue Ducks in Rosebery, Sydney, where chefs including David Thompson (Long Chim), Kylie Kwong (Billy Kwong), Peter Gilmore (Bennelong and Quay), Ross Lusted (The Bridge Room), Paul Carmichael (Momofuku Seiobo), Darren Robertson, Mark LaBrooy and Andy Allen (Three Blue Ducks), Mat Lindsay (Ester), Clayton Wells (Automata), Luke Powell (LP’s Quality Meats) and Mitch Orr (Acme & Bar Brose) will put a Syrian-inspired spin on their signature dishes.
Syrian sister chefs, Sharon and Carol Salloum from Sydney’s Almond Bar will also showcase a selection of their traditional Syrian vegetarian dishes for the dinner.
“It’s an incredible honour to be invited to participate in this campaign,” said Thompson. “Having been a visitor to Syria, I strongly believe in the cause and am very much looking forward to an amazing evening, working with my fellow chefs to create an unforgettable feast, and raise money to help provide life-saving support to children in Syria and surrounding countries who are displaced by the conflict.”
Throughout March restaurateurs, chefs, bakers and caf owners from around Australia are invited to take part in the campaign by putting a Syrian twist on one of their signature dishes or by creating a new dish, with three dollars from the sale of each dish donated to the cause.
The original campaign – a collaboration between London Instagrammer ClerkenwellBoy, SUITCASE magazine and NEXTGen London that launched in November 2016 – raised over £125,000 in the first month through pop-ups, supper clubs, bake sales and participating restaurants, with Jamie Oliver, Yotam Ottelenghi and Fergus Henderson all on-board.
“We hope that through the #CookForSyria campaign we will not only be able to raise significant and much needed money for Unicef Children of Syria Fund, but we will also increase awareness of the plight of children in the war-torn country,” said Clerkenwellboy. “Through cooking, sharing recipes and the reach of social media, we invite everyone to help make a difference and positive contribution towards this important initiative.”
