The café will open every Friday at 1 pm, serving freshly prepared meals. Residents can also join weekly cooking sessions from 11 am, led by a local chef…reports Asian Lite News
Islington Council, in partnership with Manor Gardens Welfare Trust, has opened Jean’s Café at the Jean Stokes Community Centre — a new initiative aimed at reducing food waste and offering affordable, sustainable meals to local residents.
Located in the heart of the Cally community, Jean’s Café will serve meals on a pay-what-you-feel basis, ensuring that everyone can access healthy, nutritious food regardless of their financial situation. The meals will be prepared using surplus food donated by local businesses, supermarkets, and charities such as The Felix Project. Deliveries to the café will be made using environmentally friendly cargo bikes through a partnership with OurBike.
The café will open every Friday from 1 pm, serving freshly cooked meals. Residents can also participate in weekly cooking sessions starting at 11 am, led by a local chef. These sessions aim to teach cooking skills, encourage the use of surplus ingredients, and strengthen community ties.
Jean’s Café will also offer volunteer opportunities for residents. Volunteers can assist as café hosts, help serve meals, or support the collection and delivery of food from local businesses.
Caledonian Ward Councillors Paul Convery, Sara Hyde, and Una O’Halloran said the café was a great example of bringing people together and making a real difference. They noted that the café was named after Jean Stokes, one of the Cally’s first community heroes, who had contributed greatly to the neighbourhood. The councillors highlighted the area’s tradition of helping one another despite challenges and said the café would have a lasting impact by offering affordable, homemade food and creating a welcoming space for residents.
Vaida Filmanaviciute, the Community Chef at Jean’s Café, stressed the importance of changing perceptions about surplus food. She explained that the meals at Jean’s Café are made fresh each day from quality ingredients and noted that vegetables don’t come with expiry dates. Filmanaviciute said she was proud to share her cooking with the Cally community and hoped the experience of sharing meals would help strengthen local bonds.
Residents and businesses are encouraged to support Jean’s Café and the wider Cally Community Food Project. More information is available at islingtonlife.london/CallyFoodProject.
