Bistro dedicated to helping refugees offers Plateful of hope
A bistro set up in Lewisham to help provide a ladder of opportunity into the hospitality industry for refugees has just celebrated its first anniversary – and the founder could not be more delighted.
Iolande Chirico’s Plateful Café in Lewisham Road has been created to help refugees show off their skills as chefs and it showcases cuisine from around the world that local people can enjoy.

The diner recently celebrated a Persian festival Nowruz which stretches back over three millennia. It is a celebration of the spring equinox and appropriately symbolises the emergence of new life and the triumph of light over darkness.
Hadis, a physiotherapist in Iran before she left two years ago, was behind the Persian gourmet session and is one of the many talented chefs who cook at Plateful Café.
She said: “Plateful has allowed me to make a better lifestyle for myself in the UK and it’s been great to show off my culture and my style of cooking to customers.
“It’s been great because I’ve been able to get experience working in a professional kitchen and serving customers, and I’ve also learnt how to make coffee like a barista.”
The café’s new bistro nights showcase the food, culture and music of members of staff like Hadis, but it is mainly open for lunches on Thursdays (9.30am-3pm), Fridays (9.30am-3pm), and Saturdays (12pm-5pm).
For a full evening of culture, head along to the next Plateful Lates bistro night which will next be held on the evening of April 18.
Pictured top: Iolanda Chirico (left) and Hadis (right) one of the cooks (Picture: Plateful Cafe)