That was the choice of soups on the menu for our first serving of hot soup at the JRS Day Centre. Thanks to the generosity of local cafe chain Soupe du Jour who agreed to put JRS on their roster of recipients of leftover soup, we are now able to offer hot soup to people coming to JRS on a Thursday.
Some of the comments on the first day were:
“The best mushroom soup I ever had!”
“Thank you very much, it was amazing. God bless you to cook for us.”
“It’s great to have mushroom soup. Hot! Good taste! Healthy! Smells nice!”
Now we have suggestions of what to add with requests for rice, pasta, beans… and cake to make for a full menu!
At JRS we are lucky enough to have inherited a full kitchen in our building. We have worked hard, thanks to the efforts of one volunteer in particular and one of our refugees who is a trained chef. We have tidied and cleaned, sorted out crockery and equipment, investigated regulations for allergens and run training sessions for Day Centre volunteers. Everyone serving has a smart apron and there is a menu with ingredients so diners can see what they are comfortable to eat for their diets and medical needs. We have even been awarded a Grade 5 for our kitchen hygiene and food safety from our local authority food inspector. The label is now proudly presented on the kitchen door at the Hurtado Centre.
Our chef Tiam Ham said: “Today it went good. It was fabulous. They liked it – from the comments they gave. It was a good experience for me. I am glad and confident that they loved it. I am improving to get ready, feel more relaxed and serve everyone. I am meeting new people I did not meet before at JRS. I love to cook because it is my passion. I feel great, comfortable and happy to cook in the kitchen. I have a lot of pleasure, it is nice to create a menu. It creates a nice ambiance at the Day Centre. When everyone arrives, there is a nice smell of the food. And they feel excited to see the chef in the kitchen, it gives them an appetite and to taste the flavours. It is healthier than just biscuits and sandwiches. We will to improve to accommodate their requests and increase their satisfaction as our guests.”
One diner said: “This is the best soup I ever had in my life. So I hope that people will like it – perfect!”
Bon appétit! Many thanks to Soupe du Jour for working with us to make this possible: http://www.soupe-du-jour.com/
