Lebanon Fundraiser Supper Club - Recipes as Resistance

When Israel launched their latest assault on Lebanon I texted my friend, artist Aya Haidar, to check in, see how she was holding up and how her family in Beirut were. "I'm not ok" was the reply. Her messages became increasingly desperate so I started to talk to her about food - a soothing subject so intrinsically linked to our memory and senses that it can transform how we feel in a moment. Aya started sending messages about her dad driving to Baalbak (being bombed at that very moment) for the Sfeeha laced with pomegranate molasses, her mum teaching her to make Fattet Homous, her teta ordering a Tabbouleh to share but always eating the whole thing, driving to Tripoli for Kneffeh and so many more dishes and stories kept popping up on my phone, as Aya started to feel less desperate and more empowered and energised by the memories of her precious homeland and its indestructible food culture - and so the plan for this fundraising supper club was born.

We will be taking over the amazing Round Chapel Old School Rooms in Clapton for a night of feasting, drinking and dancing to raise money for Lebanese Food Bank. Even before this latest, senseless assault by Israel, Lebanon was in the grips of a dire financial crisis and still recovering from the 2020 port explosion - food aid is more vital than ever and by buying a ticket and filling your plate you will be supporting the teams on the ground feeding families in Lebanon.

Our team of brilliant guest chefs will recreate a selection of Lebanese dishes inspired by Aya's stories and the resilience of Beirut's cafes and bakeries who continue to open their shutters, clear the rubble from the pavement, and serve their communities as they always have and always will. These places, these recipes and the communities they feed must be celebrated and preserved.

Come and join our love letter to Lebanon with a joyous, rolling mezze feast - some dishes you will recognise, some you may have never tried before. Your ticket also includes a glass of Lebanese wine courtesy of Alexandros from the wonderful Sohaila and Fat Macy's and there will be bottles available to buy on the night (and Arak of course). Aya and friends can't wait to host you for a much needed celebration of Lebanon, its food, its people and the power of cooking, eating and story-telling in community as a form of protest and resistance. Get ready to push the tables aside and dance the Dabke at the end of the night.

Limited Editions of Aya's Beirut Food Map printed in collaboration with Good Studio Riso will be on sale on the night.

Bring your card and be ready to tap it while we shout LET LEBANON LIVE!

Host or Publisher Rosie French