Refugees who have fled terrifying scenes of genocide in northern Iraq are now sharing their cultural food traditions with their adoptive community.
Armidale in Northern NSW was established as a refugee settlement city in 2018 and is now home to more than 600 Ezidi.
They have embraced their new home in the New England city, and the community has embraced them, helping set up community gardens, English language and reading programs, and even a restaurant offering traditional Ezidi food.
On the menu, a host of dishes, including dolmades, kibbeh and lamb bell pepper fry, all freshly prepared daily by cooks such as Manal Kudeedah and Sada Elyas.
"I see when we make our food and people are happy with it, and they like it, that is really good for us," Ms Kudeedah said.
Like many of her compatriots, Ms Kudeedah fled a life of terror in Shingal, northern Iraq, in search of a new life.
"We feel now we [are] safe, and we can do anything for our future and make something for our lives," she said.
Plate it forward to help others
When Comfort Inn motel owner Phil Mitchell considered opening the restaurant two years ago, he wanted a point of difference.
But it was about much more than that.
"The idea was to include some of the Ezidi community in what we were trying to do and try and showcase their food," Mr Mitchell said.
"If we could set up some sort of training scheme to let these guys have their first job, we thought that would be a good bonus for our motel."
At least nine refugees are working in the Ezidi Place restaurant learning valuable practical skills alongside their TAFE certificates.
But Mr Mitchell admits he could not turn his motel managerial skills to running a commercial kitchen.
He has partnered with the charity Plate it Forward, which specialises in employing, training and educating people who might otherwise have difficulty entering the workplace.
One dollar from each meal sold goes back to the charity, in turn supporting the training of restaurant staff in Armidale and other similar enterprises.
"It sort of starts off with core values of community and our environment and training our staff over profit," he said.
