What if cooking could open doors, build bridges, and transform communities? That’s what SOULfood is all about, a European project that turns every recipe into an opportunity for the social inclusion of migrant women. Through flavorful cooking workshops, shared stories, and experiences that leave a lasting impression, SOULfood shows that cooking is much more than just preparing food: it’s a universal language of connection, learning, and empowerment.

One of the most important activities within this initiative has been the organization of cooking workshops.Here in Zaragoza, we hosted three workshops between January and February 2025, each focusing on a different type of cuisine: Italian, Asian, and Turkish. In total, around 50 participants took part in these events, learning how to cook new dishes, sharing stories, and connecting with people from all over the world.

Each workshop offered a unique cultural and culinary experience in a welcoming, peer-to-peer environment. Rather than formal cooking lessons, these sessions were moments of mutual exchange, guided by workshop leaders who are themselves migrants and brought their personal stories and heritage into the kitchen. During the Italian cooking session, participants prepared a traditional dish of gnocchi alla sorrentina, inspired by the experience and passion of an Italian facilitator. The second workshop focused on Asian cuisine and featured a Chinese-style vegetable stir-fry, shared by a Spanish participant who had lived in China for several years and offered insights from his time abroad. The final session celebrated Turkish cuisine through the preparation of potato and bulgur patties—a traditional family recipe from Antiochia—generously shared by our Turkish workshop leader. These sessions fostered connection, learning, and inclusion in an open and horizontal way.

The workshops were a great success. We collaborated with the Sociedad de San Vicente de Paúl (SSVP), who kindly provided their kitchen space for the Italian cooking session, and with Fundación CAI, who hosted the Asian and Turkish sessions.

Beyond the recipes and techniques, what truly stood out was the human connection. Participants not only learned how to cook—they also built bridges between cultures, found common ground through food, and formed lasting friendships beyond the workshops. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, filled with laughter, curiosity, and shared experiences.

One participant shared her reflection after the final session:
“The event was so interesting and I met people from different nationalities. I’ll be happy if you have more events like this that help us become familiar with different cultures and their food. Thank you so much!”
Her words reflect the spirit of SOULfood—an initiative that uses the joy of cooking to foster community, understanding, and empowerment.