Photographed by Tim Melville
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The power of food is truly undeniable, a cultural expression, it holds symbolic meaning across the globe. A meal can bring people together in ritual, ceremony, in joyful and in trying times too.
Loretta Bolotin, founder of social enterprise Free to Feed, alongside her partner Daniel, has tapped into the truly wholesome nature of sharing a meal, for a greater cause. Established in 2015, the not-for-profit aims to provide training and meaningful employment for people seeking asylum and refugees through immersive (or online) authentic cooking classes.
Despite the unsettling & shattering events of the pandemic, Free to Feed has continued to order online meals, as well as develop its community space in North Fitzroy, ready to celebrate togetherness, when the time finally permits.
Tell us, who is Loretta Bolotin?
I am a humanitarian, a daughter of migrants, a mother of two boys (Koan and Sol) and a partner in work, life and play to Daniel Bolotin. I am also an advocate for refugees and people seeking asylum, as the CEO of social enterprise Free to Feed. I am filled with creativity, inspiration, and joy as I work alongside a passionate team.
Tell us about your not-for-profit Free to Feed a little more?
At Free to Feed, we run incredible food experiences and events. In turn, we employ refugees and people seeking asylum and provide them with meaningful, hands-on work. In our immersive (or virtual) cooking experiences, members of the community can connect with rich cultural traditions and learn recipes that tell tales from generations of home cooks, from Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Sri Lanka to Iraq! They are intimate and vibrant experience — a journey of discovery, sharing, and bountiful, delicious feasting whether online, or in the flesh.
We also prepare delicious catering like our signature grazing tables, as well as throw events including long table lunches. Our kitchen/studio/event space is in Fitzroy North and it’s an amazing space where we can be the generous and attentive hosts, for all sorts of events – in non-covid times!
I feel privileged to have connected with thousands of people seeking asylum and learn about their needs firsthand.
You have spent over a decade working in the refugee sector, spending seven years completing frontline casework with refugees and asylum seekers in East Africa, Turkey and Christmas Island. You also worked in human rights at The Hague (Netherlands). How did all these experiences inspire the inception of Free to Feed?
My passion for diversity, social justice, inclusion and supporting those who have left absolutely everything in search of safety has heavily influenced my studies and professional work. My commitment to supporting refugees and people seeking asylum has taken me around the world and into several humanitarian settings.
In 2015, I founded social enterprise Free to Feed to address at a grassroots level, the challenges of extreme isolation and barriers to employment I saw in the communities I served. Despite this, their abundance of resilience, eagerness to learn and thirst for opportunity is inspirational.
It’s hard to know the exact moment of inspiration, but it was everywhere. I feel privileged to have connected with thousands of people seeking asylum and learn about their needs firsthand. Now with Free to Feed, I feel that we’re directly addressing those core challenges.
Events and catering are a big part of your business. How have you adapted in the way Free to Feed operates during this unprecedented time?
When we were hit with the COVID-19 crisis, all income evaporated within 36 hours but, a constant essence remained, and that was togetherness. As a team, we are committed to providing empowering employment opportunities to people seeking asylum through the creation of incredible food experiences! Due to swift thinking, we launched a new venture – Brave Meals within days, it is a rotating menu of delicious home delivered meals prepared with love by our kitchen team. Responding to what’s seasonal and leveraging the specialities of our cooks, Brave Meals features a line-up of dishes that really level up the mid-week meals game. Think: Syrian spiced kofteh, comforting curries from Sri Lanka, fresh spring salads, warming butter chicken from Somalia, or house baked zaatar focaccia and delicate Persian dips. They’re delivered on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and are all kinds of delicious.
How does food bring people together?
I like the late Anthony Bourdain’s take on the multi-dimensional nature of food: ‘Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go.’
My parents migrated from southern Italy because of economic hardship and, together, my parents ran a small food business – a little neighbourhood deli. My grandparents spoke very little English, but we spent a lot of time cooking pasta from scratch in my Nona’s kitchen. I’ve grown up surrounded by food, where coming together around the dinner table has been an important daily ritual and connector. I found that this same ritual was shared by refugees and new migrants wherever I went and Free to Feed leverages that. I witnessed so much passion among many refugees when they would discuss the food of their homes. What better place to celebrate traditions and memories, stories, and new experiences than over a feasting table?
I’ve grown up surrounded by food, where coming together around the dinner table has been an important daily ritual and connector.
What has been your proudest moments since starting Free to Feed?
My proudest moment was establishing, developing, and renovating our new 800sqm site in Fitzroy North from scratch! In late 2020, we hit the streets in search of our new home when we came across a rundown space that was dark, dank, and kind of falling apart. However, it had some hidden charm, including an almost-ready commercial kitchen, high-ceilings, original timber beams, terrazzo tiled floors as well as big windows that opened – hinting at the wonderful afternoon light that could pour through.
We set about developing every inch of this site to enable us to expand our impact, to offer more employment opportunities to people seeking asylum and finally the ability to run our own program of dinners and events.
Through sheer hard work, the space we created is inspirational and beautiful. Seeing our participants at work in the kitchen and (when we are allowed) hosting events, makes me feel SO proud and grown up!
I’ve grown up surrounded by food, where coming together around the dinner table has been an important daily ritual and connector.
How can the public support Free to Feed today?
Follow us on socials @freetofeedmelbourne to be inspired by the journeys and stories of our cooks.
If you’re in Melbourne, send a friend or treat yourself to Brave Meal.
When restrictions ease and the festive season is upon us, come along to a cooking experience solo or with your friends/colleagues. You can also plan your next catered event with us at our stunning venue in Fitzroy North or, order Free to Feed’s catering for your picnics in the park or celebrations.
As a mum of two, how do you balance your business with motherhood?
Sometimes it’s hard to separate work from life because my boys are still young and being a co-founder means that Free to Feed is sometimes like my third, very demanding child. Unfortunately, I don’t have a magic formula to share; balance is elusive and finding enough hours, minutes, seconds in a day is a work in progress. Most work days start over two strong coffees and on a good day – when I am not drowning in work or emails – I can pop into the kitchen and see some of our beautiful participants hard at work or in training. They are so vibrant, warm, welcoming, and have the ability within a matter of seconds to reinforce why I’m doing this.
Running a growing social enterprise can feel demanding but I also love it and love raising children who care about this work, too; they’re little humanitarians now!
Who inspires you?
People who have fled discrimination, persecution, and war — to find safety, hope, freedom, and a brighter future for themselves (and their families) inspire me. The resilience of people seeking asylum is awe-inspiring and there is so much we can learn from them.
The resilience of people seeking asylum is awe-inspiring and there is so much we can learn from them.
If you’re to choose your favourite everyday outfit, what would it be?
I tend to establish a handful of favourites each season and wear them over and over. It makes getting dressed in the morning less of an exercise, easier and more natural. Generally speaking, an ensemble would include neutral tones or a burnt orange number. I like to be comfortable, generally with a laid back, flowy pant or flared jean and a cute top with some ethical sneakers or Blundstones boots. When the sun’s out, I never go past a trusty singlet and linen shirt, I really like to feel the suns kiss on my skin and dress minimally to maximise Vitamin D. I love a good, enduring and hearty leather bag; I tend to carry my laptop everywhere, so I need something sturdy!
What’s next for Loretta Bolotin?
I can’t wait to open our new space and I am really focused on bringing our program of events and experiences to life in 2022! I can’t tell you everything we’ll be doing there because that’ll just spoil all the fun.
After so many months of not being able to gather, I just can’t wait to see a return to sharing a meal and celebrations. I also can’t wait to see our programs evolve and offer more opportunities for people seeking asylum to enter the workforce and share their cuisines with us!
The resilience of people seeking asylum is awe-inspiring and there is so much we can learn from them.
