Afghan refugee family’s ‘taste of home’ is a recipe for success
An Afghan family are planning to stage more events after dozens of people attended a pop-up restaurant that showcased authentic cuisine from their homeland.
Habib Rahimi, his wife, Nelab, who have four children, fled Afghanistan in 2021 amid the Taliban’s resurgence, leaving their previous home and friends and family behind.
Prior to this, the father-of-four worked as an interpreter with the UK Armed Forces in Afghanistan. He and his family arrived in England after the government granted them sanctuary status.
The family has been living in Northallerton for the past two years and has demonstrated “resilience and determination” in adapting to new circumstances as well as integrating in the new community.
They staged the pop-up restaurant at Northallerton Town Hall on Saturday 19 April, to say thank you to local communities who have helped them to rebuild their lives and put down roots in North Yorkshire.
The Rahimis say they have finally regained some stability in their new “hometown” thanks to the warm welcome they have received from the locals. They are determined to be “productive members of society” where they can work and pay their taxes “like everyone else”.
As a thank you for the kindness and support they have received from the local people in Northallerton, they organised the pop-up restaurant at Northallerton Town Hall.
Dishes which were served up include authentic Afghanistan cuisine from kabuli pilau (a national Afghan rice dish with lamb), chicken karahi, Afghan kofta, lubya (bean stew), to much more.
Habib said: “We’ve been given this wonderful opportunity – a new lease of life – and we want to make the most of it. North Yorkshire Council and The Refugee Council have supported us a lot in settling in the county. We are very grateful, but we want to work and pay our way. I wanted to share Afghan cuisine and culture with the local community.
“Afghan food is rich in flavours and tradition and I felt that a pop-up restaurant would be a great way to introduce people to ‘a taste of home’.
“We are so thankful to everyone who came along to the event at the Town Hall, and people who we spoke to during the evening said that they had a wonderful time.
“The pop-up restaurant was a really great success, and we planning to stage more events later this year to let more people learn about some of our traditional dishes from Afghanistan.”
From August 2021 to date, North Yorkshire has helped to respond to the evacuation of people from Afghanistan who qualify to come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy or the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. People being resettled under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme include interpreters who worked for the Armed Forces.
We have a proud history of welcoming refugees and to date has supported a total of 484 Afghans across 97 households.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Carl Les, said: “North Yorkshire has always provided a welcoming place for people fleeing conflict and persecution in their home countries.
“These are people who have suffered so much, given up everything to try and find safety and rebuild their lives.
“Many of those who have settled in the rural county have shown so much resilience and determination - they have so much to contribute and it is these additions from all around the world and different cultures that make North Yorkshire such an inclusive, rewarding, diverse and beautiful county to live in.”
“Living in Northallerton has been a wonderful experience,” added Habib, who has two daughters, Omra, 10 and one-year-old Samreen, and two sons, Hizbullah, 11, and four-year-old Hamdullah.
“The people here are very kind and friendly, which has made it easier for us to settle. We feel safe, and the community has been supportive, especially in helping us find a home and adjust to life in England. It’s a peaceful place and we are happy to live here.”