For its eighth year, the Refugee Food Festival was a huge success in La Ciotat. After Arles in 2023, the festival took place on June 18 at noon under the white parasol on the terrace of the Café de l’Horloge. The event is coordinated by Camille Lhomme, manager of the café, Joseph and Rowaida the two festival chefs and Charlotte representative of the Refugee Food Festival association. A delicious Syrian menu with a Ciotad touch was proposed by the chefs, a great collaboration between refugee cooks and local restaurateurs.
Because cooking means speaking a universal language, the Refugee Food Festival is a national event in a dozen cities that takes place every year in June. The 2024 edition still promotes culinary skills and heritage. Its mission: to change views on exiles and support professional integration. This lunchtime, at the Café de l’Horloge, we work as a team with methodical cooking and presentation gestures.
The guests are seated at small tables on the terrace on the street. In a friendly atmosphere, around fifty Syrian-Ciotaden plates were served. Joseph put together a nicely presented savory plate of three fried falafels with chickpeas, cumin and coriander, accompanied by tahina and pistou sauce. Syrian tabbouleh is a great success for its freshness, with the Provençal colors of peppers, parsley, tomatoes, onions. All mixed with lemon juice and bulgur. Lebanese bread and small Syrian pastries brazek and halawé are appreciated for their delicacies. The frozen thyme and rosemary drink from the hill, freshly prepared by Camille, is a treat.
“More global project”
“This dish has a lot of flavor and originality.exclaims Arthur at the table. We’re not used to having such finely spiced tastes. This flavor in the mouth is not forgotten. We want it again!“The icing on the cake, Frédérique adds:”Everything has even more flavor as the meal is included in a more global project around Refugee Day in La Ciotat, Marseille and in twelve cities in France. Joseph is not there by chance. He has his reputation as a renowned chef at the La Ciotat market and in other surrounding towns. I can almost testify to Joseph’s integration thanks to his culinary preparations and the arrangements of this festival.“
