In spring 2020, the network and the company EAT Umeå offer new cooking experiences in Umeå's cultural center, Väven. Behind the initiative is founder Leena Naqvi, who has worked for several years to establish a strong network of people who are passionate about both cooking and sharing their culture. EAT Umeå wants to show the strength of the shared meal and bring people and cultures closer together.

When the architect Leena Naqvi came from Pakistan to Sweden ten years ago, she quickly discovered the power of meeting over a bite to eat. The experience led Leena to set up The Eat Project a few years later - which aimed to understand and work with cultural identity, migration and oral storytelling traditions. A year later, in 2016, the company EAT Umeå was founded on the same foundation, which over the years has built a solid network of people who are passionate about their culture and the art of cooking - with origins from all corners of the world.

EAT Umeå wants to bring people closer together through unique cooking courses where the experience and conversation are always at the centre.

- I started using cooking as a tool to create natural meeting places for conversations, sharing experiences and experiences," says Leena Naqvi, founder of EAT Umeå. Cooking is an important identity-forming cultural symbol with enormous potential to bring people together on a deeper level, create understanding and arouse curiosity. Something happens to us when we share a meal and also get to help in the process of creating it.

In the spring of 2020, EAT Umeå is taking a major step forward with four new cooking experiences in the cultural centre Väven - where everyone is welcome. Through their cooking and storytelling, the women in the network invite participants to encounter their part of the world on a unique and personal level.

- Our meetings are about so much more than just following a recipe - they're about the people and their stories, the little cultural quirks, the smells, the textures and making connections. It's an amazing process that I'm convinced gives new perspectives and builds bridges between people," says Leena.

All participants in the cooking courses are involved in preparing the food together. In the meantime, an insight into the culture represented is given, through stories and conversations to recipes and cooking techniques.

Upcoming courses:

• 1 February
• 7 March
• 4 April
• 9 May

All courses take place between 11:00-13:00.

SNABBFAKTA:

Name: Leena S Naqvi
Age: 34
Origin: Karachi, Pakistan (approx. 22 million inhabitants)
Education: Has a Master's degree in Sustainable Architecture Design
Family: Lives with her husband Sangram and their one year old daughter Aria

For more information about EAT Umeå and current offers visit www.eatumea.com.

Contact
Leena Naqvi
leena.naqvi@gmail.com
072-201 56 58