Problem addressed

The refugee crisis we are currently facing is an unprecedented situation. By the end of 2022, there were 12.4 million refugees, fleeing the horrors of war and destitution, on the soil of a weakened Europe. Then there was the photograph in September 2015 of the body of little Aylan, aged 3, washed up on that Turkish beach… Then there were the attacks of 13 November 2015, which shook France and the whole of Europe to the core. This ordeal further fuelled fear of ‘the foreigner’, intensified the state of emergency, encouraged isolationism and the closing of borders… Yet it also strengthened the spirit of citizenship and solidarity, characterised by resistance and resilience.

Innovative solution

Le Recho operates through various actions:

Cookery workshops for businesses

Guided by professional chefs and refugee cooks training with RECHO, participants work together to prepare recipes that will be distributed as part of a food aid programme.

Workshops with Secours Populaire de Paris

Every Monday, RECHO brings together around twenty people – either recipients of food aid or referred by the project’s partner associations – in the kitchen of the Secours Populaire solidarity food shop in the 18th arrondissement to cook together recipes that are economical, easy, tasty and healthy. 

O2R Re-engagement Programme

This re-engagement programme is aimed at people living in exile in France who are far from the labour market. It combines cookery workshops, social support and group activities.

Cookery workshops for children

Supervised by a professional chef and a refugee cook on a work integration programme at our restaurant, our cookery workshops enable children to meet and interact whilst preparing recipes from around the world.

Les Tables des Voisin·es

Over lunch, thanks to valuable partnerships with several associations, people facing hardship or isolation are invited to the restaurant to come together around the table.

Cookery workshops for the general public

RECHO organises inclusive cookery workshops followed by large charity banquets bringing together those receiving support and those providing it, with the aim of fostering connections and a sense of community through the universal language of cooking.

Social integration restaurants

Since 2019, RECHO has continued its commitment to promoting social inclusion and supporting the professional integration of refugees through the opening of several social integration restaurants.

Tables Ouvertes

Thanks to the support of chefs who share our commitment, RECHO organises charity dinners known as ‘Tables Ouvertes’: over the course of a meal, guest chefs come to cook alongside our team – made up of refugee chefs – to offer them kind support on their journey towards professional development.

Itinéraires Solidaires

Since 2022, Le RECHO has been putting its experience to good use in welcoming cities across France, such as Lyon, Strasbourg and Bourges, to bring together local authorities, associations and the cities’ reception services around a solidarity marathon!

Le Grand RECHO

Conceived as a true hub for community life within a city, Le Grand RECHO is a pop-up restaurant based on solidarity that fosters connections through food, highlighting the hospitality and generosity of an entire region.

Humanitarian missions

In 2016, as our initiative began to take shape, Le RECHO launched a crowdfunding campaign that enabled us to buy a food truck: this gave us the opportunity to travel to reception centres to meet refugee and local communities, so that we could cook together to heal the world!

Advocacy

Given the situation in France and Europe over the past decade or so, and drawing on our expertise on the ground, Le RECHO believes it has a role to play in raising public awareness and advocating to institutions and political authorities.

Key results and benefits

37,832 Meals prepared and shared together
5,215 Participants in our cookery workshops, from both refugee and host communities
1,100 Volunteers since 2016
4 Social enterprises established since 2019
43 Refugees employed and trained in the catering sector