Social Gastronomy in Practice - Über den Tellerrand

Social Gastronomy In Practice is a series of online learning journeys aimed at sharing existing models with other community members who can implement and multiply the best practices in their communities.

In the first episode of the Social Gastronomy in Practice, we had the pleasure of speaking with Esther Bernsen and Hameed Khasawnih from Über den Tellerrand, an organization that uses the power of food to create opportunities for people of different cultures to meet and get to know each other. 

Über den Tellerrand was founded in 2013 in Berlin, Germany, when a group of students sought to connect with refugees through the simple act of sharing a meal. Despite language barriers, they discovered that sharing food could foster meaningful connections with people from different backgrounds.

The experience of sharing a meal with those of different nationalities affirmed the belief that food is a universal language that transcends cultures. Hameed Khasawnih emphasized the importance of meeting on an equal footing to achieve social inclusion and build friendships, “we thought food is the medium that can get us to meet,” he explained.

Thanks to positive media coverage, Über den Tellerrand’s model had been replicated in 35 cities across Germany by 2018, equipped with toolboxes detailing how to set up satellites in the different communities. Esther Bernsen mentioned that the organization does not prescribe how satellites should be organized,  which has led to slight variations reflecting the different communities in which they are set up, adapting to the local context.

Listen to the full episode below.