Flavorful Narratives: Crafting Community & Stories with Hejmo

By Zhané Hylton

I first connected with Give Something Back to Berlin (GSBTB) in 2018. I’d not long moved to Berlin from London, off the back of Brexit, as a fresh-faced 22-year-old who had barely started her career and had no real idea what to do next. I just knew that London wasn’t working. I had been signed off from my last job with burnout and depression, but despite that, the future somehow felt brighter. By the skin of my teeth, I secured a corporate job that allowed me to relocate to Berlin, and I promptly moved abroad with my best friend Ash, who suggested Berlin as she once went on a school trip and liked it.

I, on the other hand, unknowingly moved after a few Google searches confirming that this was the spot to hold my hedonism and faux septum ring. What I didn’t fully grasp in hindsight was that I came from the incredibly multicultural London where I grew up but also spent prolonged intermittent periods in the Caribbean. I was used to seeing versions of myself everywhere. I knew the exact shop to go to when craving some plantain, oxtail, the fatty part of lamb neck, or ackee to make it just the way my great-grandmother had out of her Caribbean valley bungalow. The sweet smell of pear guava stopped me in supermarket Caribbean aisles, taking me back to when we plucked them from the tree or ground, bringing them inside in colorful plastic baskets. And here I was, the newbie without the mind maps formed.

The first few months in Berlin were challenging as I struggled to put together the pieces of myself and understand German culture and language. Even finding hair products as a Black woman at the time wasn’t as accessible as it is now. I was frustrated and didn’t feel seen in the communities I tried to join. Tired of calling family members in tears, I decided to take matters into my own hands and googled communities and volunteering opportunities in Berlin. That’s when I stumbled on the iconic GSBTB logo. I read through some of what they did and stood for, and it felt like an immediate match. The diversity of activities and people made me think there’d surely be something to satiate me.

I reached out and was connected to a language tandem, where I met a wonderfully bright 16-year-old Iranian refugee with whom I practiced English. Despite having been through so much and leaving behind everything she knew, she had such a lust for life, exceptional English (contrary to what she thought), and, more than anything, we just enjoyed being girls together. We took selfies, listened to music, dreamt about the future, and met with other GSBTB members. I connected deeply with the individuals I met from GSBTB, who were usually migrants. I felt inspired by their drive, but more than that, I felt like I belonged.

I continued to maintain my connections from GSBTB but drifted from the organisation itself. Until one day, I noticed they were seeking writing volunteers. As a copywriter who primarily has worked corporate jobs, I was interested in exploring my creativity differently — not necessarily to pay the bills (although necessary) but to fulfill something else, servitude being the trigger. Initially, there was no set format for content support, but we could suggest ideas to move forward with. Creative freedom was everything. We exchanged ideas and personal stories and had meetings, and they made me aware of a potential upcoming cookbook project, which, on reflection, is wild to think of as a reality now.

For those who don’t know.

The Feast: Stories and Recipes from Berlin’s Migrant and Refugee Tables is a cookbook compiled by members and volunteers of GSBTB to celebrate social cohesion and cultural diversity via a cookbook. Ten years ago, the Open Kitchen started to bring people from diverse backgrounds around the same table, inviting everyone to cook and eat together. The project has enabled community members to connect and share their stories and culture through some of the world’s tastiest recipes. After cooking many recipes and listening to dozens of stories, the Open Kitchen was ready to share a variety of tastes with the broader community. Our first cookbook: “The Feast: Stories and Recipes from Berlin’s Migrant and Refugee Tables.” Get your copy here!

Back at the beginning of the project, the initial team was small and sturdy. Together, we mapped it out and how we would split the work accordingly. I feel so privileged to have been a part of a project with such talented professionals. I was most excited by the opportunity to read about each cookbook feature, the highs and lows of their stories, and simply what made them them. I was fascinated by their trajectories and savoured every tale. I was also culinarily inspired, taking the recipe sneak peeks and trying some myself.

In each personal story I read, the members were sharing a piece of themselves, and it was an honour to bring textual life to their existence. Whenever we’d receive a story brief, I’d read through the interview, trying to envision how life might have been for them. We also got a folder with recordings of their voices and photos and the option to join any Open Kitchen event to meet them. Each story was unique and stood out to me for a different reason. The first story that I wrote stays with me for just that reason. Tashi Kelsang came from Arunachal Pradesh, India, to Neukölln, Berlin. Learning about his family’s challenges, how much he had grown through, to sitting cross-legged in the photo of him and his extraordinary beard under a wooden cabinet with the Buddhist prayer flags above him in Berlin, sharing his story with me to turn into words for a cookbook? It could only be fate. During my sabbatical, I later traveled to India, and upon seeing the Buddhist prayer flags, I knowingly smiled while reminiscing about Tashi’s story. Each participant subconsciously opened up a part of the world for me before I could visit it myself.

I am eternally grateful to GSBTB for the continued chance to make an impact in a way that speaks to me at transitional parts in my life over the last 6+ years. I recently saw the opportunity to feature in the GSBTB magazine on social media and thought, “Why not?” Here we are.

GSBTB perfectly blends my interests — diversity, writing, community, food, and exploring myself and my creativity in a unique and supported environment. Berlin wouldn’t be what it is without its migrant and refugee communities. The open-mindedness and fusions light up every cobbled strasse. This project wasn’t just a cookbook but a testament to the will of refugees and migrants, a celebration of their culinary heritage, and a reminder that we all have stories worth sharing.

And that the kitchen is a place where stories are told, memories made, and communities built.