At Monday lunchtime at St Andrew’s United Reformed Church, there is a feeling of warmth and contagious energy, and the room is filled with lively chatter and aromatic scents wafting from the kitchen.

Young children run around the rows of tables where people share smiles and stories and a ping pong ball bounces on the table at the back. 

In the kitchen, the volunteers laugh and chat as they prepare a menu of “Masoumeh’s rice”, “Luisa’s mushrooms”, “Nina and Luisa’s aubergine”, “Jay’s roast vegetables” and “Oleana’s chicken”.

Running the Open Social Kitchen Club (OKSC), which offers free Halal lunch every Monday and welcomes a range of asylum seekers, refugees, and homeless people across Sheffield, is an enthusiastic and welcoming man, Firas Sharefy.

He co-founded OKSC in 2014 and his mission is to share cultures through food and build bridges between communities.

Since 2018, the volunteers also provide a second weekly lunch on Tuesday at the City of Sanctuary, a safe space for asylum seekers and refugees in the city centre.

In recognition of this work, Iraq-born Firas won the Lord Mayor’s Award for Oustanding Contribution to the local community, earlier this month.

Lord Mayor, Jayne Dunn said: “The event showcased people who would never normally have their voice heard.”

Running OKSC is his “dream job” but it has not always been easy.

After moving to Sheffield 16 years ago, Firas began his volunteering career at a local charity shop through Voluntary Action Sheffield and, at first, struggled with learning English and the culture shock.

“I came from a completely different background, different language, different culture, different system. So working at the charity shop was quite a challenge for me.”

“But I said to myself- I cannot escape just because everything is different. I need to stay there and face it.”

On top of serving food, Open Kitchen collaborates to provide English classes, digital and employability skills as well as “away days” to the seaside and Peak District where Firas says he feels “free”.

Changing the narrative on migrants

During the disorder in South Yorkshire which escalated to riots in Rotherham last summer following the Southport stabbings, many larger organisations closed their doors as immigrants were targeted. However, Open Social Kitchen Club kept its doors open and Firas was determined to challenge the image of immigrants that was being painted in the media.

“We support a lot of people who are homeless and under the influence of drugs and alcohol and they often want to blame someone else for their problem and it is easy to blame migrants, particularly when the media shows them this way.

“When they see 90% of our volunteers are refugees and asylum seekers they start to see us a different way.”

“They are blamed for taking houses, for longer NHS appointments, and say they are taking the benefits. They don’t add any value to the UK/Sheffield.”

“Refugee and asylum seekers don’t sit not doing anything, in my experience. They have this energy and they want to be useful and good about themselves. Despite the barrier, these difficulties they want to volunteer.”

Helen who came to Sheffield from Ukraine when Russia invaded three years ago, said: “I always want to be useful to society and help people and it is a good opportunity to do something kind.”

Nina, also from Ukraine, said: “It makes me happy and brings me joy. I do not only live for myself.”

Masoumeh, who also volunteers at City of Sanctuary, moved to Sheffield from Iran eight years ago. She said: “We smile at and respect each other here so emotionally, it’s really important for us.”

“The people here are like my family.”

Travelling the world through different recipes 

Unlike traditional soup kitchens, people who attend OKSC can get involved too, whether they are helping in the hall or helping with food preparation, setting the table, or cooking their own cuisine.

If someone wants to share a recipe from their culture, the volunteers will provide the ingredients, often donated from Beanies Wholefoods fresh on Monday morning, and help them make it. For many, especially those stuck in hotels, it is their only opportunity to host.

Ken, a volunteer, said: “They give you the recipe and you can easily travel around the world.”

OKSC also covers the costs for Food Hygiene Level Two training for those who lead the lunch service.

Firas said: “The volunteers cook food from scratch for 60 to 70 people in a really positive way. This energy comes from their hearts.”

OKSC runs a catering service under the same name which generates 50% of their income and allows them to provide lunches for free. They serve a unique style loosely based on Middle Eastern, South American, and West Indian cuisine.

Luisa, a Brazillian who moved from Soa Pualo to Sheffield two years ago said: “I didn’t know much about Arabic food because we don’t cook like that in my country, and I have had the opportunity to learn about herbs and spices from the Arabic community here.

“It’s an opportunity to get to know each other better and meet people from different backgrounds you would not meet.”

Giving people a sense of belonging

Chris, who has been homeless several times in his life, and volunteers at Andy’s Man Club: “I work with broken men and this provides a good place to talk.”

“Anyone that puts their heart and soul into doing something for people who are on the street, I think they deserve a medal.”

“There’s no need for any street people to starve, or to be cold or lonely because there are places like this dotted about the city.”

In a classroom next to the kitchen, Caroline Bland, a smiley woman who puts you at ease, teaches a free English class alongside Monday lunch.

“We cover topics like transport, going to the doctors and the shops. Today we were learning how to describe people and what is polite and not polite in English.”

Hope English School has been collaborating with Open Kitchen for a year.

“It is confidence building for people struggling with their English. It provides a safe space to practice with native English speakers.”

“There’s a real sense of community built up by Open Kitchen. We have people here who come week after week and we can see great progress in them. 

“It’s the companionship and delicious food and other services such as the hobbies and our English classes that keep people coming and gives them a sense of belonging.”

OKSC has recently launched its outreach program and last week volunteers helped new arrivals at an asylum seeker accommodation in a Sheffield hotel, for the first time.

They reached out to welcome them to Sheffield and tell them how they can access their services such as digital skills and employability courses that offer one-to-one interview preparation. And, of course, where they can come for lunch on a Monday.

Ken said: “I crack on with everybody that comes in. It is all about mutual respect and with that, we can easily get along.”

“I was very happy Firas won the award because it shows that we are doing is being recognised and appreciated. It gives us that zing to do more.”