Successful Stories: The OAFVC Newcomers' Food Entrepreneur Program

In this podcast, Rosa and I are interviewing Melanie Ferreira who will be talking about her experience as a newcomer in Canada. From home cooking to food entrepreneur. And later today, I will be introducing a new segment. Creating welcoming communities through Diversity, Equality, Equity and Inclusion.

Melanie Ferreira is a passionate home cook and entrepreneur. She was born in South Africa and immigrated to Canada in 2018 with her husband and two children. From the moment she arrived, she felt compelled to introduce her culture's cuisine to the Canadian people. Melanie has been cooking since she was very young, constantly adapting recipes from her homeland to fit the tastes of her new friends in Cobourg. With that same spirit of experimentation, Melanie and her family opened a cafe called Lalies & The Dutch which offers both tradition South African dishes as well as unique takes on classic Canadian comfort foods. Melanie's love for cooking and sharing her culture with others is what drives her to continue creating innovative dishes and providing a warm welcome to all who enter Lalies & The Dutch.

Melanie loves connecting with her local community through food and sharing her culinary creations with them. When she’s not in the kitchen cooking up delicious meals for her family or customers, Melanie can be found playing board games with her two children or exploring the trails of Cobourg. She’s proud to bring a little bit of South Africa to Canada and enjoys bringing smiles to people’s faces through her cooking.

This episode song
"Scatterlings of Africa" is a 1982 song by the South African band Juluka, first released on their 1982 album Scatterlings. It was re-released in 1987 by Juluka's successor band Savuka on Third World Child. The song was a commercial success, charting in France and the United Kingdom. Its lyrics explore the "myriad dislocations" experienced by South Africa. The rousing and upbeat music incorporated Zulu influences. The song introduced the music of Johnny Clegg, the cofounder of Juluka and Savuka, to Western audiences.

Resources:
https://lalies.ca/
https://www.northumberland.ca/en/ontario-agri-food-venture-centre/oafvc.aspx