What We Do
‘Breaking bread’ together is an effective way of creating social bonds.
We all have personal examples of when food brought families and friends together even despite unresolved disagreements. Amazingly, this power of food to create connections also extends beyond our personal relationships.
‘Food diplomacy’ is one of the earliest forms of diplomacy, while sharing a meal with purported ‘enemies’ during war quickly reminds us of our shared humanity even during violent conflicts. Food’s rich symbolism and ability to engage our emotions create a collaborative space for cooperation even when lengthy negotiations have not succeeded.
While most people are fortunate to be living without war as an everyday experience, conflict comes in many forms: in our homes, our workplaces, our schools, the media, and weaved throughout our political systems.
Unfortunately, many people lack the confidence and skills to approach conflict positively.
This is unsurprising as there aren’t many places where we meet people different from us.
Rarely do we intentionally engage with people who might disagree with us.
Peace Kitchen serves up dialogue and connection.
We believe that engaging with conflict in positive ways can help us grow, build mutual understanding, and develop innovative solutions to meet the pressing issues of our age.
This is why we create inclusive spaces where people can come together to talk about sometimes difficult topics.
By sharing food together, we create opportunities to build relationships — perhaps even friendships — that may withstand the pressures of divides so common in more polarised times.
Our heart is for human connection. Food provides a conduit to meaningful dialogues that matter.
What We
Offer
01
Dialogue over a Meal
We create warm and inclusive spaces for conversations about people, cultures, and conflict that many people might know little about outside the narrow lens of media headlines.
03
Conference Facilitation
We facilitate conversations during conference break times, giving a more personal touch to the overall conferencing and networking experience.
02
Co-Designing Solutions
We support groups to safely dialogue about their challenges and to co-design solutions.
Our heart is for human connection.
While food and fun are core aspects of what we do, they are vehicles for promoting what we seek most: human connection.
We are peacebuilders and bridge-builders seeking a peaceful world where everyone may flourish and feel accepted. This is an ambitious dream, so we work collaboratively and strategically.
More than a typical dining experience, Peace Kitchen intentionally serves up good food with a generous helping of dialogue and self-reflection.
Our 'special sauce' is our ability to draw on both 'head and heart' to facilitate dialogues about thorny issues and sensitive topics. While we are boldly relational, we are also informed by years of research about peace, conflict, and how society works.
