Cook for Syria was launched in London late last year by three personalities who wanted to help the war torn people of that country. Only, they didn’t feel that obviously showcasing their plight was the right way to go about it. Instead, Serena Guen, who runs Suitcase Magazine, the mysterious London instagrammer Clerkenwell Boy and restaurant PR guru Gemma Bell decided to showcase the culture by having London based chefs and restaurateurs create Syrian inspired food dishes. That turned into a cookbook as well as baked sales…and that resulted in over US$400,000 raised to provide supplies, textbooks, support, vaccinations, clean water and more to the people of Syria.
The movement has since spread to New York, Australia, and now Hong Kong. On October 26th at Beef & Liberty, a charity dinner for 110 guests will kick off a month long campaign at restaurants and bars across the city in a bid to raise funds for UNICEF HK which will go towards supporting children affected by the crisis. At HK$1,200, the eight course menu isn’t cheap, but in addition to the meal, the evening also includes a lucky draw and an auction.
Eight well known local chefs have volunteered to kick dishes on the night, including Gregoire Michaud (Bread Elements), Uwe Opocensky (Beef & Liberty), Peggy Chan (Grassroots Pantry), David Lai (Neighbourhood), Agustin Balbi (Haku), Jim Lofdahl (Frantzen’s Kitchen) and Nicolas Boutin (Epure). All dishes will have a Syrian twist, so if Syrian flatbreads with Zaatar, Middle Eastern Spiced Chicken Sharawama and slow cooked Te Mana Lamb Shoulder Masala is your idea of a fine evening out, this will be the place to be.
Those who cannot attend can still participate, as various establishments around the city will offer a Syrian twist to their drinks and dishes throughout the month of November. HK$ 20 from each sale will go to UNICEF HK.
Tickets for the eight course dinner can be purchased through Eventbrite.
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