A local catering service is doing its best to help Syrian refugees support themselves and their families.
More than 6,000 now call Montreal home and for many, finding employment can be challenging, to say the least.
Les Filles Fattoush in the Town of Mount Royal currently employs 18 women, all of them refugees.
“It gives them independence. They are here, they have their own salary, they are happy that they do something and they earn money,” said co-founder Adelle Tarzibachi.
She immigrated from Syria in 2003 and now wants to give female refugees a chance to work and make money.
“It's not easy to find a job. They all came at the same moment so they don't speak fluently in either English or French,” she said.
Most of the women don't have a professional culinary background and held other jobs before fleeing their war-torn homeland.
Their love of cooking, their common roots, and their shared story of being displaced unite them.
“They are sharing their life, they are sharing memories. They are sharing what they passed over during those three, four years,” said Tarzibachi.
Les Filles Fattoush – named for the traditional salad – doesn't just provide employment; the women also serve the food, providing an opportunity to interact and better integrate in society.
It’s an aspect the women understand and appreciate.
“I am doing something good for the Canadian society,” said Syrian refugee Mathild Shahinian
The company's official launch is set for this fall, but they're already taking orders.
