I finally succumbed to the pressure. Loretta’s Kitchen is making the transition to become a supper club.

It’s been just over 2 years since I launched the food blog - hosting a supper club hadn’t even entered my mind, I was hoping at the most to maybe get a few recipes published and write a cook book, but I wasn’t in a hurry! I enjoyed writing and soon began to develop a taste for food photography. Most of all I loved receiving the numerous messages and e-mails from people as far as Australia asking me where to purchase casareep from? LOL it has been a lot of fun.

This is not the end of the food blog. No.

Like with most things I need to be challenged. For example I changed gyms last week and besides feeling pain in a totally different way, my body is responding really way to the and I am seeing the benefits already!

The food blog as interesting as it is - needs some energy injected into it - for my sanity at least. Plus people have been asking me ‘when are you going to let me taste your food? Why don’t you start a supper club?’ As much as I tried to divert the question, I couldn’t avoid the challenge and I soon realised it was the only way to get LLK to a wider audience.

So after attending a few ssupper club to check out the scene, I met a friendly guy called Leslie who runs West African Cooks and who has helped me immensely by providing me with the tools for setting up a supper club. Whilst at these supper clubs, I got to know the cooks some of whom also run street food stalls as well and found myself immersed in this ‘west africa foodie’ community, meeting the likes of Zoe from Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen and Alicia from Chale (Lets Eat).

I met Fat Macy’s through networking.

Meg is the brainchild behind Fat Macy’s - which is a play on the acronym YMCA (MACY). Fat Macy’s was launched in March 2016.

Showcasing the culinary efforts of a group of young homeless residents of the YMCA, Fat Macy’s supper clubs provide a pathway for independent living by inviting them to organise, create and curate culinary pop-up events across London.

Fat Macy’s overcomes the cycle of homelessness by using the project’s profits to create a specified housing deposit scheme. With every pop-up event, each chef can make an independent and progressive step in saving securely for their future.

Alongside increasing personal savings, Fat Macy’s resident chefs are trained in vital skills for independent living: understanding food hygiene; cooking; financial planning; running and curating events; and practical work experience.

After participating with Fat Macy’s for seven events, our chefs will be able to afford a deposit for a flat and a clear pathway into independent living.

I am so passionate about this project, it combines all my interests into one event: cooking, sharing, mentoring, hospitality, creativity and youth and social justice (see my other blog: http://www.acottonstateofmind.com)

There are still seats available - so come dine with us on 19 or 26 May 2016 - it would be great to finally meet some of you!

To book - follow the link below:

http://www.edibleexperiences.com/p/2399392055/Fat-Macys/460001/Fat-Macys-x-Lorettas-Kitchen