SAFFRON KITCHEN PROJECT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Head Chef
- Member of the SKP Team
As a young boy growing up in Damascus, Syria, Adel would try to cook with his mother, but she usually kicked him out of the kitchen because he was too messy. Nevertheless, he went on to graduate from culinary school and began working in restaurants in 2005, making his way from assistant to chef. In 2011, Adel left Syria for Egypt, where he continued working in restaurants. He came to Europe in 2015 and volunteered with the NGO Meet 'n Eat in Berlin. SKP is his first job cooking in Athens and he is excited to help the project grow.
Adel's favourite meal is mandi, a yellow rice, chicken, and tomato sauce dish, which his mother taught him to make.
Job Titles:
- Kitchen Assistant
- Member of the SKP Team
Amani has been living in Greece since 2013, but originally comes from Asyut, Egypt where she was a professor of Mathematics. She was one of SKP's IEK graduates from 2023 and worked with a Greek Chef before joining our team. As a mother of three, she loves the kitchen and the art of feeding others, meaning she fits in perfectly here at Saffron Kitchen Project. Amani says she doesn't like to take life too seriously and that she loves listening to music and singing whilst cooking.
Her favourite meal is macaroni with a béchamel sauce.
Job Titles:
- Grants Officer
- Member of the SKP Team
Hailing from and residing in Italy, Claudia has been working with SKP since January 2023. With over eight years of experience in the humanitarian sector, with a particular focus on migration and working with unaccompanied children, she has found herself in various hands-on roles in different parts of the world. Alongside this, Claudia has helped numerous organisations of different sizes with grant writing and applications, as well as experience working with the EU, UNCHR, and the Red Cross.
She considers herself a proactive, determined and adventurous individual and says she is inspired by all the love the team members put into everything they do here at SKP.
Job Titles:
- Member of the SKP Team
- Operations Officer
Daphne has a background working in education both in Greece and in the U.K. and she graduated from videography school in Athens.
She has worked within the Athens NGO field for the last couple of years. Daphne is particularly interested in social inclusion and is commited in tackling this issue with her work in our IEK vocational training project. Daphne is the integral link to our local culinary community and represents SKP with all our vendors.
Her favourite dish is pasta in any shape or form!
Job Titles:
- Director
- Founder
- Member of the SKP Team
Evelina's six years in the food industry, working and training in restaurants and ultimately setting up her own catering company, helped her to recognise the importance of food and the joy it can bring to people. She spent the following five years working in humanitarian aid, running a warehouse in a refugee camp and setting up as well as managing an education and community centre. This helped refine her aptitude in working with vulnerable people and running teams of staff and volunteers. All of this experience has equipped her with the necessary skills to start Saffron Kitchen Project, whose goal is to provide both opportunity, and a sense of community, for refugees and vulnerable people.
Her favourite meal is pasta cooked by someone else (obviously by someone who can cook pasta).
She is an art dealer with many years of experience in charity work in different places from India, Afghanistan to Tibet as well as Europe. Fausta's knowledge covers fundraising and strategy, and she brings with her a lot of creativity.
Having seen first hand in camps in Greece how food is essential to people's wellbeing in dire situations she strongly believes in the importance of SKP's role in the refugee context.
Her favourite meal is Risotto alla Milanese, soft, creamy, soothing and comforting, shining with the happiest of colours, yellow saffron!
She is a co-founder of the Greek/Austrian organisation Echo100Plus. Having had the experience of setting up an NGO herself, Gabi believes she can contribute with her realistic outlook, attention to detail and familiarity of working within Greece.
Jonny co-founded Refugee Youth Service in 2016 and sister organisation Velos Youth in 2017. With a background in small business and grassroots NGO leadership, Jonny enjoys the entrepreneurial and operational sides of humanitarian and development work. He joined Saffron Kitchen Project in order to share the lessons learnt and insight developed over the past few years, from working in the grassroots of Greek civil society.
Job Titles:
- Member of the SKP Team
- Sous Chef
Arriving in Greece from Conakry, Guinea in 2020, Mamadou started working with Saffron Kitchen Project back in 2022 after completing his sponsored, IEK culinary training with us. Back in Guinea, Mamadou completed a degree in Business Administration and believes some of his strengths include being organised, sociable and a good listener. His favourite part of working with SKP is the empathy involved with the project and providing meals to those in need. His keen interest in developing his skills and love for cooking have made him a fantastic member of the team. This enthusiasm and dedication has led him to grow from a volunteer to our Sous Chef!
His favourite meal is Latchiri, a Guinean dish consisting of corn cous cous with a yoghurt sauce.