Tastes of Damascus, Zaatar NGO’s latest project, is an eco-friendly restaurant serving healthy vegetarian Middle Eastern cuisine and offering training and job opportunities to asylum-seekers and refugees.
So far, Za’atar NGO has trained four groups of ten refugees and asylum-seekers (total of 40 students) in the basic skills required to work in the restaurant industry in Greece. The Restaurant Training Course took place at our day-center organization, the Orange House, and are taught in Greek, which greatly improves their chances of getting a job in after graduating from the training. The Restaurant Training Course is taught by a woman from Syria, who also is the full-time manager at Tastes of Damascus. Our students receive basic training in making all the most common dishes in both Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine.
After completing the Restaurant Training Course, students are given the opportunity to apply to work at Tastes of Damascus, where we support them with our team to complete the paperwork that is required to hire them. Employees receive a standard salary while being trained to improve their cooking skills and their knowledge of the Greek language. The goal is that after few months, employees/students will be able to go work in another restaurant and maintain their job, allowing us to welcome more students to be trained.
In 2021, we opened a catering company in parallel with the restaurant. This allowed us to train and hire more people as we now have about 3-4 events per month in parallel with running the restaurant. In 2022, we started participating in festivals in Athens so this also allowed us to welcome more employees.
Our organization
Za’atar NGO is a Greek registered non-profit dedicated to helping refugees in Greece.
Our main project is the Orange House consisting in a community center, a school and a shelter for women and children. The community center offers language courses, health and wellness activities, support to find employment, access to our Lawyer and Social Worker on appointment.
Foodies
During the long months of lockdown, while the restaurant was closed, streets empty and parties impossible, Zaatar NGO remained committed to build bridges, make people meet, cultures mix and create communities. And what a better way to do so than through what we all share – and cherish, food and cooking ? In the framework of the Curing the Limbos’ program launched by the municipality of Athens, Tastes of Damascus offered a series of online live cooking lessons, bringing together refugees and Greek people. After cooking dinner altogether, following the instructions of the restaurant’s team, participants share a well-deserved dinner, to the sound of the guitar or voice of a guest singer or musician. If you missed those, check out all the recipes on our brand new YouTube channel, Tastes of Damascus !
Learn more about it in the press !
The President :
https://www.thepresident.gr/2021/01/27/foodies-diadiktyakes-synantiseis-mageirikis-me-geyseis-apo-olo-ton-kosmo/
Ta Nea :
https://www.tanea.gr/print/2020/12/11/greece/i-symmaxia-ton-foodies/
Tastes of Damascus 