It’s lunchtime at Kabul Social, near Sydney's Wynyard Station, and a queue is forming at the counter.
City workers order meals cooked by Afghan women, featuring the flavours of their homeland.
For each meal sold, the social enterprise donates another two; one to refugees and asylum seekers living in Australia and the other to someone in Afghanistan.
A tally board shows the impact the project is having.
Source: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
“Of that, 49,000 meals were given to refugees and asylum seekers in Sydney. The other 49,000 meals were delivered to people in Afghanistan through a great organisation called Mahboba’s Promise.
“It gives families in Afghanistan packs to cook meals at home, without having to buy ingredients because they might not be able to."
Yakut Hamayoun makes traditional bread at Kabul Social. Source: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
Since the Taliban swept back into power in Afghanistan in August 2021, international aid has dried up, leaving many at risk of starvation.
Kabul Social is staffed by women who have fled political turmoil in Afghanistan and are proud to give back to their homeland, and their new country.
Refugee Yakut Hamayoun left Afghanistan more than a decade ago and is making flatbread using traditional skills.
“I find this bread very tasty, so all day I make bread,” she said.
Hamayoun pounds the dough with her hands and then cooks the flattened discs on a metal plate.
The bread is served rolled and filled with spiced chicken and pickled onions, or perhaps slow-cooked lamb.
Hamayoun's daughter and daughter-in-law both work at Kabul Social, but she remains concerned for her extended family who still live in Afghanistan.
“All my sisters and brothers are there and I am very worried for them. But I am happy working here, and we are safe,” she said.
The casual eatery is in Sydney’s MetCentre shopping centre and a new outlet opens next month in the city's north. It will be the third venue for Christie-David's Plate it Forward Hospitality Group.
Founded in 2020, the not-for-profit sends out up to 3,000 meals each week to those in need, and employs staff from diverse backgrounds.
“To date, we have employed more than 175 people," said Christie-David, who is of Sri Lankan heritage.
"And that's equated to about 70,000 hours of training, education and employment, and $2.5 million in wages for people who might otherwise have had barriers to enter the workforce."
"We create opportunities for people, where opportunity is not equal," Christie-David said.
“That means employing people seeking asylum, refugees, women over the age of 50, people coming out of the prison system, those living with a disability, and First Nations community members.
The Plate it Forward Group aims to employ 300 people in total by the end of this year.
Restaurant owner Shaun Christie-David. Source: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
“When the Taliban came, it was so confusing for us. Everyone was on the street, scared and running around,” the sister said.
“Staying in Afghanistan would not have been good for us.”
While the siblings are not refugees, they are displaced and appreciate the struggles many refugees face.
“Many refugees who come here, don't get work for a year or maybe two years,” the sister said.
As well as working at the restaurant, both she and her brother plan to study in Australia - an opportunity denied to girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban.
Australian Human Rights Commission president Rosalind Croucher said the key thing for many refugees in Australia is "getting started, getting engaged".
"When you come to a new country without language skills or an understanding of the work environment, being able to cook helps to make contacts and build confidence in language, which is vital and can lead on to permanent employment.”
She describes Christie-David’s work as inspiring.
“The real magic of Shaun is that he focuses on community and connection to build people's lives in a new country.”
Christie-David has several new hospitality projects in development.
“We want to break down barriers and stereotypes, and bring people together through the most universal love language – and that's food,” he said.
Refugee Week is marked from 18-24 June. World Refugee Day is on 20 June.
