Food & Drink

Vegan pop-up hopes to raise charity funds through rooftop event

 A London-based Palestinian vegan pop up is holding a Brixton rooftop event to raise money for SkatePal, an organisation dedicated to supporting young people in Palestine through skateboarding.

Good friends Meg and Jess created the idea for What the Fattoush? after volunteering in refugee camps across Europe, and decided to raise money for refugees by using the cooking skills they learnt whilst away.

After doing a number of supperclubs, pop-ups and catered events, the pair are taking their food to the roof of the South Pole Saloon on 28 November to share a five course meal with guests.

Co-owner Jess Howe said: “We really believe in the food we make and the causes we donate to.

“All dishes are made from scratch using Palestinian ingredients where possible to support growers in Palestine.

“We’re determined to get vegan Palestinian food on London’s pop-up map.”

The business began just five months ago but has succeeded in raising money and awareness for various charities advocating Palestinian human rights.

The reaction from customers has been incredibly positive for Jess and Meg, and they hope the business will continue to grow.

They aim to begin trading at London markets and are off to Palestine soon to learn more dishes to add to the menu.

Jess said: “We brought our signature vegan koftes to a pop-up in Shoreditch for Hype Peace, a streetwear brand which supports Palestine and Syrian causes.

“That wasn’t your typical veggie/vegan crowd, there was a lot of ‘no way, this is vegan?’ which always causes Meg and I to do a fist bump on the sly.”

She added: “The response to the food and the causes we donate to has been quite overwhelming really.

“We had a Syrian refugee come to one of the supper clubs who said eating our food like being back in Syria. As you can imagine we were stoked with that.”

The event, which takes place between 7:30-10:30pm, will feature live music including Middle Eastern beats, along with a graffiti artist and lots of skateboarding, at a cost of £29 per person.

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