Emma Foster talks us through the successes and challenges of Lancaster’s lively International Lunch Club…
Global Village Café started in 2018 and is a non-profit-making company run by volunteers.
All the chefs are refugees or asylum seekers who want to share their culinary traditions and skills.
The café provides training, volunteering, and employment and attracts customers who are looking for something delicious that also benefits the local community.
In 2023, we needed a new kitchen and found our way to The Cornerstone, run by Lancaster Methodist Church.
The Cornerstone café had never really recovered after the pandemic and as a number of charities are based there and it is a place of welcome for many, this seemed such a pity.
So we set about joining forces to revive the café.
Luckily for us, the Pots of Possibilities grant scheme was just being launched.
We asked for a grant of £10k to get us started and keep us going for our first year.
What a buzz when we not only won the full grant but also received the highest number of votes!
We opened the Lunch Club in April 2024 with a Syrian main course of mujadara and roasted (Eggcup) vegetables with salad followed by a donated cake. 12 people came and we were delighted. Now we regularly serve 60 plus.
Our customers praise the food but also love the chats and connections and learning new things from each other. For asylum seekers and refugees it is an opportunity to learn more about local culture, housing, jobs, etc. Now the Lunch Club is every Wednesday at 12.30pm, open to all.
We have featured chefs from Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Sudan, Bangladesh, Kurdish Iran, Kurdish Iraq, Vietnam, Kuwait, and Iran.
As the year progressed, it became clear that income raised from community cafés was not enough to fund the Lunch Club in year two.
But we couldn’t give up! We’ve been asking for a minimum donation of £5 and whilst this helps, it doesn’t cover our costs and the suggested donation will need to increase a little.
We decided to channel profits from our outside catering bookings into the Lunch Club to help keep it going.
When you book catering for your party, wedding, etc with Global Village Café, you know the food will be amazing, from a community enterprise with profits going back into the business and bringing people together in friendship.
You can find out more HERE.
