The Feature Kitchen

A social enterprise helping cooks from various cultural backgrounds to share their food via a weekend take away delivery service.

Since 2017, I’ve had the pleasure of hosting and mentoring  Jacob Fodio Todd and his social enterprise, The Feature Kitchen. Jacob also grew up in southern Africa and went to school in Lewes before moving to London. He travelled all over the world and returned to live in Lewes when he wanted to start a family.  One thing he missed not living in London was the availability of diverse cultural food.  He came up with the idea of a weekend “Cultural Food” catering and home delivery service after a conversation with Genet, an Ethiopian refugee living in Brighton who dreamed of cooking for the public as she had done before migrating. He decided to create a social enterprise enabling cooks such as Genet to share their food with the public while developing their business skills and understanding of the UK food industry.

During his time at the Lewes Community Kitchen, the business has grown 4 fold and now employs 5 people.  The culinary savvy of Lewes and Brighton have enjoyed food from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Burma,  Anatolia,  Zambia, Trinidad, Libya, Thailand and many more including South London. It’s been fascinating meeting the chefs and to get to know more about their food and culture. Jacob is a powerhouse of energy and a super guy to work with.

Fridays and Saturdays down at the Lewes Community Kitchen – great food, diverse music and positive vibes!

Jacob says, “I seek out exceptional cooks who may lack the means, confidence or platform to showcase their food to produce innovative menus that often showcase the cuisine of their origin, or established expertise. The food is prepared together in a professional kitchen and is delivered to homes in Lewes and Brighton and everywhere between. With little capital outlay, low overheads and minimal waste, our social enterprise is able to provide a reasonably priced meal for customers and a generous reward for the cooks. We are able to deliver interesting high-quality food cooked with talent by members of the local community. Our aim is also to celebrate the concealed cultural and culinary diversity of the area, and simultaneously educate, working against mainstream nationalistic, xenophobic and anti-immigrant narratives.”

The food is delicious, the portions are generous and the ethos is sound! If you are local to Lewes or Brighton, I’d highly recommend you give it a go

Find out more about The Feature Kitchen.

See more posts

All
  • All
  • Awards
  • Current
  • News
  • Past
  • Recipes

COMMUNITY CHEF ON BBC RADIO 4’s THE FOOD PROGRAMME

Community Chef has been featured on the BBC's Radio 4 The Food Programme. The show is...
Read more about COMMUNITY CHEF ON BBC RADIO 4’s THE FOOD PROGRAMME

PEOPLE’S AWARD FOR COMMUNITY CHEF Founder

The People's Award, a prestigious award at 3VA's celebrating communities event, has been awarded to Community...
Read more about PEOPLE’S AWARD FOR COMMUNITY CHEF Founder

Support for Ukrainians

Support For Ukranians will be offered here from Community Chef. We are pleased to be able...
Read more about Support for Ukrainians

upcoming

All
  • All
  • Baking workshops
  • Cookery Courses
  • Cookery Workshops
  • Training

Man with a Pan – Lewes

A five week, in person, hands on cookery course for men of all ages who want...
Read more or book about Man with a Pan – Lewes

Cooking Beyond The Spectrum

A training and support course for parents and carers who want to feed their neurodivergent children...
Read more or book about Cooking Beyond The Spectrum

Cooking for Ukrainians – Let’s Cook Together Lewes

A cookery course for Ukrainians in the Lewes area. Prepare and share traditional family and regional...
Read more or book about Cooking for Ukrainians – Let’s Cook Together Lewes