Plateful Cafe Blog

April 2026 – New Beginnings and Growing Impact at Plateful Café

This month’s edition builds on a strong March, highlighting increased catering demand, community engagement, and key partnerships, including events with The London Unit and the conclusion of the Migration on Film series with Goldsmiths. It celebrates continued outreach through local stalls and storytelling from Plateful’s chefs, showcasing the cultural depth behind their food. A major milestone is the appointment of

Read More »

March 2026 – Growth and Celebrations at Plateful Café

This month’s newsletter reflects on a busy February of successful events, including a sold-out Sudanese Valentine’s dinner and continued catering at Goldsmiths’ Migration on Film series, alongside the ongoing Warm Space initiative at Blackfriars Settlement. Looking ahead, March brings culturally rich events such as a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Lewisham Irish Centre and Plateful’s first Eid community dinner.

Read More »

February 2026 – Plateful Café Finds a Home

This month’s edition marks a major milestone as Plateful Café secures its first operational base at Blackfriars Settlement, enabling the launch of its Warm Space soup initiative and laying the groundwork for expanded training, catering, and café services from April. The newsletter highlights a growing events programme, including Migration on Film nights at Goldsmiths and a Valentine’s dinner at Hilly

Read More »

January 2026 – Happy New Year from Plateful Café

This New Year edition reflects on a demanding but impactful 2025, featuring a candid end-of-year note from founder Iolanda Chirico on the ongoing challenge of operating without a permanent kitchen despite catering 50+ events across London. It celebrates the dedication of 48 volunteers across eight teams, shares strong customer testimonials, and looks ahead to January and February 2026 events including the Warm

Read More »

Community Eid Dinner 2026 – Celebrate Together in London

Community Eid Dinner 2026 – Celebrate Together in London This  Spirit of Eid dinner, brings your community together over a beautifully prepared feast filled with flavour, tradition, and warmth.A memorable evening of unity, gratitude, and exceptional cuisine.  Specially Curated Eid Menu  Starter – Vegetable Samosa Golden, crispy pastry filled with a perfectly spiced mix of potatoes, peas, and aromatic herbs.

Read More »

This October with Plateful Cafe! (London Catering Service)

Plateful Cafe needs a home… As some of our readers may remember, Plateful Café was at Parkside from June 2023 to April 2024 –  first as a hospitality training space for our refugees, and then as a vibrant community café serving a Syrian-inspired menu. For many of our chefs, Parkside was an extremely important space that allowed them to learn

Read More »

This Christmas with Plateful Cafe!

The Christmas with Plateful Cafe! Dear Readers, As we reach the final chapter of the year, the Plateful Cafe team is filled with gratitude and festive excitement! With new experiences on the horizon for 2026, continued growth in our pop-ups and private catering, and more beneficiaries stepping into employment, there is so much to be hopeful for in the year

Read More »

An end-of-year note from Iolanda

And end of year note from Iolanda  Thank you for your support in what has been quite the rollercoaster year for Plateful Café. The biggest challenge ever remains the lack of a permanent venue. Despite an ever-increasing demand for our catering services, presence at pop ups and events, we continue to cook and deliver food from my house. In 2025

Read More »

Sudan Crisis (Since April 2023)

How the war began The current war in Sudan started on 15 April 2023, when the Janjaweed militias, known today as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), attacked the presidential palace in Khartoum and attempted to capture the head of Sudan’s government, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The Sudanese army fought back and very quickly, fighting spread across the cities.   These

Read More »