Every Friday, groups of people in Bendigo get a delivery of tiffins - stainless steel lunch boxes filled with delicious, fresh food.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
What they're getting for lunch might not be something they've ever tried. But they know what the three course meal represents.
The tiffins provide an insight into a culture represented in the region's population.
It's one way Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services is offering people the opportunity to learn more about the many and diverse places people have called home before settling in central Victoria.
Friday Food Safari is a lunch program.
Meals are prepared by community members from migrant and refugee backgrounds.
Everyone gets the same meal, the only exception being people with dietary requirements.
"It's food a lot of people would never have had before and probably would never order if they had a choice," catering coordinator Jason Newton says.
"It challenges people without them even realising."
All of the dishes are vegetarian, and menus are themed around a particular country's cuisine.
The chosen country changes each month, and a great deal of thought goes into the selection process.
Seasonality is one of the factors Mr Newton keeps in mind.
Mexican cuisine was a hot favourite in summer, with the produce and style of food well suited to the season.
Autumn lent itself to Afghan foods.
Mr Newton says he also thinks about what resources he can tap into to find suitable recipes.
"Who is in the community that I can talk to? Who can I ask, 'What do you suggest that I can cook?'" he asks himself as he's planning.
Those community members can choose to be involved in the kitchen, or not.
Mr Newton has been working with different ethnic groups throughout Bendigo, finding out why they choose the meals they do and cook specific dishes at certain times.
The Gravel Hill Community Garden in Bendigo is also providing Mr Newton with a wealth of ingredients not often found in Australian gardens to taste and try.
Pennywort, one of the plants growing in the garden, is more commonly found in Asia.
There's long melon, bamboo and a banana tree defying all expectations of a tropical plant in a cooler climate.
Migrants have been heavily involved in the community garden, Bendigo's first Karen family among them.
Lah Su Pah Thei planted the banana tree, as well as a number of the other plants growing ingredients for the Friday Food Safari kitchen.
He and his wife, Kyaw Pyaint Pah Thei, are actively involved in maintaining the garden.
It is evident from following Lah Su around the vines, trees and plants that he's not just passionate about nurturing what's growing - he's also interested in the way the produce is used.
With a smile from ear to ear, he shares not just what he knows about the plants themselves but how the edible parts are best prepared.
Gardening is a big part of Karen culture.
"If you have a guest you will ask them to come to the back yard and plant a plant," Lah Su's daughter, Bu Gay Bu Gay Pah Thei, says.
He might have more than 20 years of experience in a commercial kitchen, but Mr Newton says he's constantly learning from Friday Food Safari.
He's also helping others to learn by passing on his cookery skills.
One of the program's aims is to support people from migrant and refugee backgrounds to develop skills for employment.
Friday Food Safari participants have access to courses teaching initial food handling and food supervision skills.
They also develop skills during their time in the kitchen and in the garden.
Mr Newton says many of the participants already have valuable skills - more than they might know.
"A big part of it is building the confidence in people to know these skills they have are such employable assets," he says.
The happiest day, for him, will be when participants he has helped throughout the program become employed.
Developing skills for work in a kitchen was a strong source of motivation for Topister Wani and Lilian John.
Both women are both raising young children. They also have older children to care for.
Friday Food Safari has given them a sense of community and purpose.
"We're learning from each other," Ms Wani says.
"It has made us to be so happy."
Mr Newton and Linto Thomas from Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services deliver the meals each week.
They make a point of bringing a volunteer along.
Mr Newton says that opportunity to interact helps promote social inclusion, among both the people preparing meals and those sitting down to them.
That sense of social inclusion continues during the meal, according to Mr Newton.
"All of a sudden there's gathering around that office space," he says.
The meal becomes something to talk about and look forward to.
"That's something I never thought about," Mr Newton says.
Friday Food Safari emails its recipients each week with information about the cuisine and the dishes.
About 15 per cent of Bendigo residents are born in countries other than Australia, according to the most recent census.
England, New Zealand, India, Myanmar and Thailand were the highest countries of birth for Bendigo residents not born in Australia. Karen was the most widely spoken language other than English.
Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Group helped people from 54 countries last year.
Bendigo Bank, VicRoads, the Department of Health and Human Services, CatholicCare Sandhurst, the Old Church on the Hill and Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services are among the organisations involved in Friday Food Safari.
Interest in the not-for-profit social enterprise meant it was soon looking for opportunities to increase its capacity.
Participants have also been involved in catering events, such as last month's launch of the Grow, Cook, Share Cooking Clubs in Bendigo.
"It's really exciting people are contacting us," Mr Newton says.
Groups of 15 people or more can subscribe to Friday Food Safari. The service costs $12 a week.
To register your interest, visit lcms.org.au/fridayfoodsafari/
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.
Emma D'Agostino
Covering general news and Bendigo council.
Covering general news and Bendigo council.
