The three-course dinner showcased food and flavours from Syria and the Levant
MORE than 70 people turned up for the relaunch of Oasis’ supper clubs, the biggest ever in-person dinner at the refugee centre.
The menu included deep fried feta, cauliflower shawarma and a choice of white or dark chocolate mousse for dessert.
The supper club, held on February 20, was a collaboration between Oasis’ catering company Global Eats and Arabic-inspired pop-up Lahmacun, run by husband and wife Lucas and Sophie Wootten.
Jess Watson, Oasis’ fundraising lead, said the supper clubs are about “sharing food cultures”.
She said the plan is to run the supper clubs monthly again.
Chef Lucas Wootten putting the finishing touches to a dish. Credit: Lahmacun.
Alis’ story and the Global Eats project
Alis Cartagena is catering manager at Global Eats and first came to the UK from Honduras five years ago to seek asylum.
His mum signed him up to volunteer in the kitchen at Oasis when they arrived because he was a chef in Honduras. In October 2022 he became full-time catering manager.
Mr Cartagena did not speak English when he started volunteering and the supper clubs were one of the first projects he got involved with.
“I am excited but nervous [about the supper clubs] because I did it before but this time I’m doing it by myself,” he said.
Ms Watson said providing employment and training to refugees and asylum seekers was a big part of the Global Eats project. Volunteers gain experience while waiting for their asylum claim to be decided.
Once they have the right to work they can sometimes take up paid employment at Global Eats, like Mr Cartagena.
According to the Refugee Council, it can be hard for refugees to find work because, typically, they are only given five years leave to remain at one time.
People caught in the asylum backlog also lose any work based skills they arrived with. The current asylum backlog, as of December 2023, is 98,599.
Lucas and Lahmacun’s story
Lucas Wootten set up Lahmacun three years ago with his wife Sophie, whose father is from Damascus. Mr Wootten also grew up in the Middle East, spending his teenage years in Oman.
Mr Wootten approached Oasis about doing the supper club together.
“It’s been in our minds for a while to have a more charity focus,” he said.
They moved to Cardiff from London, where Mr Wootten trained as a chef, because of his and his wife’s Welsh roots.
Lahmacun is a flatbread popular in Syria and the Levant that is usually covered in meat, vegetables and herbs.
“Our main style is to integrate Arabic flavours with local ingredients,” said Mr Wootten.
They make regular appearances at the Riverside and Roath Markets and run supper clubs and pop-up evenings at other venues.
Diners enjoying the supper club. Credit: Lahmacun
He had also wanted to do an entirely vegan/vegetarian menu for a while, which is well-suited to Arabic cuisine.
The money raised by the supper club and Global Eats’ other ventures, a food truck and private catering, goes back into supporting Oasis’ work with refugees and asylum seekers.
“What it all comes back to is raising money and funds so we can keep doing what we are doing,” said Ms Watson.
Oasis runs several different services including providing a hot meal every lunch and helping with the asylum process. In 2022 it distributed over 27,000 plates of food and gave legal advice to 440 people.
Ms Watson said the supper clubs started in 2019 and takeaway ones were incredibly popular during lockdown, regularly receiving over 100 orders. The clubs stopped at the end of 2022.
“We had to put our focus into other things but because of community interest and people like Lucas wanting to partner with us we started again,” said Ms Watson.
