London’s New Covent Garden Food Exchange was alive with rich aromas and flavours at the weekend as the Food Power Tasting Showcase 2025, powered by TERN and Mission Kitchen, brought together refugee-led food start-ups to share their dishes and stories.
TERN is an organisation that provides support, funding and networks for refugee start-ups. Mission Kitchen supports over 100 food and drinks businesses to grow. Events like Food Power provide a platform for these new businesses to thrive with the help and support of TERN and Mission Kitchen.
Saturday’s event provided refugees a platform to showcase their dishes which were inextricably tied to their culture and, through food, told the stories of inspirational individuals. From Tajik pastry to Saudi Arabian risotto, the tasting showcase offered a warm atmosphere, delicious food and a place where refugee food start-ups could show-off the flavours from their home country.
Ely Ahamed, portfolio food and beverage manager at TERN, stressed the importance of events like these: “we have identified that anyone with a refugee background doesn’t have much to start their business so we try to bring people to them through events like these. The audience give meaningful feedback that is used for them to refine their product”.
Oksana, founder of Xenias’s, who served cottage cheese dishes, came to London after the war in Ukraine started. She shared the value of the help Food Power gives to her business: “we are refugees so we don’t have a lot of funds for marketing. Here, we have very valuable advice from professionals and we can show people what we have. It is the most invaluable event for the start of business”.
It is this opportunity for feedback, advice and a platform to introduce their products that made the event special for those showcasing their dishes. Visitors were given the opportunity to post feedback via the QR codes on the table and vote for a winner. All of which acted as crucial feedback for the business start-ups to use.
Jenan, who moved to the UK from Saudi Arabia in 2017 and founder of Miellass, sees an event like this as an opportunity to improve her skills and show members of the public food they may not have tried before: “I am bringing authentic food from my region as it is very rare to find in the UK so that is why I am starting this brand. Events like Food Power helps me understand the culture and get used to interacting with people”.
Life is extremely tough for refugees when first moving to a new place. Starting a new life takes courage, bravery and resilience. Courage, bravery and resilience were all traits that the business owners at Food Power demonstrated.
Noor, who came to the UK 6 years ago from Syria, says without Food Power and TERN, she would not be able to have started a business: “I joined this event 6 months ago because I wanted to get my food business started. Refugees come with a lot of responsibilities in their day to day lives. Launching similar businesses takes a bunch of time that does not exist to refugees. This type of event gets the space you need to get your business running”.
The Food Power Tasting Showcase showed how talent and the power of food can unite people. Participants shared their cultures through flavours helping to break barriers. As attendees emptied their plates and engaged in conversations, one thing stood out: food tells a story, fosters connections and opens doors for new opportunities. An event that truly makes a difference.
