A tech start-up described as the “Etsy for food” is offering a range of home-cooked meals to people keen to try something different from regular takeaways.
All About The Cooks allows talented cooks to sell their homemade food to people across Bristol and Bath via its marketplace website.
People can purchase authentic cuisine, such as Thai, Turkish, Persian, Filipino and Mexican, as well as birthday cakes or order a special menu for a dinner party.
With collection arranged directly from the cook who whipped it up, it offers an alternative to junk food.
One of the cooks, Nesrin Ayad, who moved to Bristol from Egypt with her family, explained how the All About The Cooks service has helped her settle in the city.
Growing up in Egypt, I learnt to cook traditional Egyptian food, and I always dreamed of opening an Egyptian food business that could appeal to everyone— Nesrin Ayad
“I hadn’t thought about earning money from food before I came to the UK. I used to cook alongside my mother and sister in Egypt so I learned a lot from them before getting married,” she said.
“I faced some big challenges when I first moved to Bristol, particularly as I had difficulties with the language and understanding all the different accents.
“I’ve made friends through All About The Cooks and I feel lucky to have these kind people around me.
“I’ve even made friends with the customers from the platform who now order from me regularly and I love it when they come around to collect and we can catch up.
“I work as a receptionist and housing administrator during the week, but I didn’t know I could also make some money doing what I love.
Food has allowed me to express myself in a country where I struggled with the language— Nesrin Ayad
“I got lots of support from All About The Cooks. They helped with my food hygiene checks and organised to get some great photos taken of my food.
“They got my page ready on the website with all the food I wanted to sell, and then helped promote my food on social media.”
Ms Ayad specialises in cooking traditional Egyptian dishes, such as Koshari, which consists of pasta, Egyptian fried rice, lentils, tomato and chilli sauce and crispy fried onions.
“Growing up in Egypt, I learnt to cook traditional Egyptian food, and I always dreamed of opening an Egyptian food business that could appeal to everyone – vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters,” she said.
“I use food now to remember special times from Egypt with my mum and sister.
“Something I really love about selling my food to local people in the city I now live is that I get to share my culture and heritage with them.
“Food has allowed me to express myself in a country where I struggled with the language.
“My favourite thing is when people love to eat my food as much as I love to cook it.”
