SalamaTea House

Sunshine, Melbourne

This pretty plate of food is only the starter of the delicious Persian takeaway meal we shared amongst housemates during lockdown #1 - way to spice up the eat-at-home experience! The master chef responsible is Hamed from @salamateahouse and @hamedsfood - a Persian chef, caterer and cooking instructor with a lovely smile and a story to tell.

In 2012 Hamed was forced to leave his home and restaurant in Tehran because of his views on religion. Left with little choice, he travelled to Australia by boat and had to build up a new life. Faced with the difficulties of getting that first foot in the door of employment, Hamed volunteered and worked hard, eventually running cooking classes for the social enterprise @freetofeedmelbourne

Grateful for their support, when Hamed eventually opened up his own cafe & restaurant in Sunshine, he also set up as a social enterprise with the intention of employing and empowering other refugees, asylum seekers and new migrants facing the same difficulties he faced when he first came to Australia.

Since May (as well as takeaway) Hamed has been running Persian cooking classes online every second Tuesday. You can join in from your own kitchen and cook along, learning the favourites from his cooking classes and the SalamaTea restaurant menu - or simply sit back with a glass of red and enjoy the demo.

We're all booked in for a class with some friends tonight!

CHECK OUT MORE at http://www.hamedspersiankitchen.com/

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