A chef who once found himself homeless is giving back to the community by putting on a day of gourmet Mexican and Mediterranean food for all to come and enjoy, and you just pay what you can afford.
Paul Simpson is organising the Soul Food event in St Giles Church after successfully running a similar event for seven months last year.
His father died of alcoholism and he said he’s experienced homelessness and seen things ‘you’re not supposed to see’.
Now, he says he just wants to give back to the community.
He has the support of the Elgin Community Church of God, and the Quarriers Arrows Service, who provide support for people in drug and alcohol recovery.
Paul said: “It’s just about getting people together, especially in this climate, the way it is at the moment. The financial climate is shocking and people are really struggling, but no-one really wants to talk about it.
Raring to go
“So why not just get a meal, break bread together, and then if things come out, things come out!”
Paul said he would do it regularly if he could. He did a similar event last year. He had to go away to look after his mum who developed Sepsis, but now he’s back and raring to go again.
Arrows are providing the community cafe to do the cooking from, and it will be served up in a social setting in St Giles Church on Friday 15 November from 6pm to 8:30pm
Paul said the first one last year with the River Church at the Harvest Centre attracted 70 people, the second 100 and then for the next seven months they had 130 at each one.
“So it just progressed and progressed. We don’t have money to promote and get it out there, so we just use the social media platforms, word of mouth,” he added.
“My motivation is with God. But I don’t want people thinking you’re going to get smashed over the head with a Bible or something. It’s not about that. It’s about coming and sitting together.”
Paul trained at the Birmingham College of Food, and has since worked in a lot of care homes around the area.
God keeps me going
“I’ve used my knowledge of nutrition to try and change the way our older folk eat, particularly people who suffer with dementia and those in palliative care.
“Trying to give them that happy end through food as well. I’ve just given myself to God, and I’ve given myself to this. So I don’t care about the money, it’s not because I’m rich, God keeps me going.
He recounted a story that moved him: “I remember a gentleman who came to one of the events. It took him two months to get to the event. He had mental health problems, he lost his wife. But when he actually got through, he was the first person to arrive and the last person to leave. He told me I don’t feel alone any more.
Kim Philip, a lived experience development worker from Arrows added: “One in three children in Moray live in poverty. Children are not always able to go out and experience nice food and restaurants, it’s great for us to be able to allow the people that we support to go and have some nice food, some fun, some connection, take their minds off all the stresses of what’s going on.
“We are hoping to continue working in partnership to promote this and allow the community to eat and to come together and recover not just from drug and alcohol, but from life. We’ve all got stuff that we’re trying to deal with and overcome. The more that we can all come together, the better.
“And hopefully we’ll get other members of the community and organisations to get involved and donate and be part of it.
Sharing experiences
“I’ve been recovering myself from drug and alcohol use for three years.
“Arrows supported me in the beginning and through their program of therapeutic volunteering I was able to learn tools to manage my emotions and get some sense of purpose and life back.
“I went on to employment and I’ve met wonderful people through that and so just by sharing my experiences with others I hope to encourage them to do the same, to come together to deal with stuff and realise it’s possible.
“We all just need some connection. It starts with something.”
Paul added that he chose a Mexican theme because he’s done a lot of demos with Elgin BID, and people seem to like it.
He finished off by saying: “God has delivered me. He just dragged me up here and said, look, get up there and sort your stuff out up there. Give back. And I’ll do it wherever. It doesn’t stop here.”
The Soul Food Cafe will take place on Friday 15 November in St Giles Church, Elgin from 6pm to 8:30pm. Donations welcome. Open to everyone.
More details here: https://moray.events/event/soul-food-mexican-med-gourmet-food-elgin/
Contact info@elginccog.org for more information.
In the picture are Paul (centre), Kim Philip (left) and volunteer Connor Dalgarno.