Containing recipes and food-related stories from 100 People of Colour, Community Comfort has been complied by Caribbean food enthusiast and activist Riaz Phillips.
The aim of the e-book is to raise awareness and funds for the Majonzi COVID-19 Bereavement Fund in collaboration with the Ubele Initiative.
Launched alongside Windrush campaigner Patrick Vernon, and named for the Swahili word for sorrow, The Majonzi Fund raises money to help families COVID-19 has touched in the Black and Ethnic minority community.
Riaz says he was struck by the disparity of frontline staff from non-White backgrounds being affected by COVID-19.
The first six doctors to die from the virus were from Black and Asian Minority backgrounds and the government enquiry showed that Black people were four times more likely to die of COVID-19 compared to White Britons, and other ethnic minorities between 10-50% more likely to suffer from COVID-19 overall.
“In this time of disarray, and when we can’t break bread with our loved ones, I wanted to do something which brought joy to as many people as possible. Food and recipes are how we connect, heal and mourn but also celebrate when things get better too,” says Riaz.
“For people in our communities and migrant backgrounds, food is our colour when our voices don’t always get heard, so I gathered all these recipes in hope that they might speak to you and bring you some comfort whilst contributing something back to a community that has so been affected, proportionately more so, in the UK.”
Other chefs and food writers featured in the book include Vivek Singh, Frederick Forster, Sameer Tanej, Santiago Lastra and Romy Gill.
Community Comfort will be published later this month and can be pre-ordered here for a minimum donation of £10.
