“This isn’t just my workplace, it has become my second home”.
Toula, Cook at The HOME Project
When Toula joined The HOME Project six years ago, she thought she knew exactly what the job would involve. After years of working in restaurants, a school cafeteria, and raising three children of her own, becoming a cook in one of our shelters felt like a natural next step. What she did not expect was how much the experience would change her.
“Before this job, I knew very little about the refugee crisis. I had no connection to it at all”, she admits. “At the beginning, what affected me most was realizing how much these children have had to endure from such a young age. It’s very hard for most of us to wrap our heads around it”.
At first glance, Toula's role revolves around preparing meals. In reality, it has always been about much more than food. Every morning begins before the children wake up. Breakfast is prepared, snacks packed for school, fruit washed, lunches cooked, sweet treats baked. Yet some of the most important moments happen in between.
A child asking for their favorite dish. Teenagers gathering in the kitchen to cook together. A young girl learning a recipe before leaving for her reunification with her family in another European country. Small moments that gradually build trust. “I think the role of the cook fosters a special bond with the children”, Toula explains. “They often come and ask me to cook food from their home countries. That's how the connection starts”.
Over the years, she has learned recipes, traditions, and customs from across the world. Egyptian dishes, Afghan celebrations, Ramadan traditions, Middle Eastern flavors and spices. What began as cooking for the children gradually became cooking with them. “I remember once we made shawarma, and it felt like a celebration”, she recalls. “The children were genuinely excited”.
For Toula, food is not simply nourishment. It is comfort, familiarity, and often one of the first ways children begin to feel at ease in a new environment. “At The HOME Project, we don't serve ready-made catering meals. There is a real kitchen”, she emphasizes. “We strive to make them feel like they are in a home, not an institution. That gives them safety and stability”.
The relationships she has built along the way remain among the most meaningful parts of her work. Some of those have stayed with her long after children grew up and moved on with their lives. Others still surface in unexpected ways: a message, a phone call, a memory attached to a recipe. Of course, carrying those stories is not always easy. “I would be lying if I said that discovering the children’s stories and what they have been through doesn’t affect me”, she admits. Over time, though, she has learned how to create space for herself too. “I would go home, make a coffee, sit quietly for a couple of hours, and only after that be able to continue with the rest of my day. I needed that time to disconnect a little”.
Six years on, Toula reflects not only on how the children have grown, but on how she has changed alongside them. “My mind has opened. I have learned so much about different countries, cultures, and customs”, she says. “I realize how much stronger and calmer I've become”. She also credits the people around her. “Our work is emotionally demanding. If there isn't a strong team behind you, you can't really do it on your own”.
What began as an opportunity to work with children gradually grew into something far more meaningful. And after all this time, there is one description that still feels most accurate.
“Honestly, this isn’t just my workplace, it has become my second home”, Toula concludes.