Border Kitchen

Niki Psarias specialises in exploring the power of food to unite and inform. Niki’s refugee heritage (her family is from Cyprus, an island nation in the Mediterranean that is divided) has greatly influenced her passion for connection and healing between people, and believes that food can be part of a pathway towards that.

She has worked in the NGO sector for multiple years, and delivered innovative pop up restaurants and food campaigns for international NGOs and community organisations, serving and connecting thousands of diners, and working with over 15 chefs from different countries. Niki is Founder of Border Kitchen, a grassroots peacebuilding project that brings together the divided communities of Cyprus, through cuisine.

The Global Peace Index reports that our world is becoming less peaceful. Border Kitchen seeks to bring people together, to create connection, particularly in regions that have a history of division. We call the kitchen the heart of the home. But it can be more: the heart of our world. Already functioning in a country frozen in conflict (Cyprus), Border Kitchen brings together people who are divided, to share their stories, their heritage with one another, to build understanding through cuisine. I propose to expand my work in Cyprus into other regions around the world - to use something which is both every day (we need food to survive!), but also has a sacredness (food is an inherent part of our identities and cultures), to be a bridge to connect us and heal divides, and play a role in elevating our world into a more peaceful one. 

The Global Peace Index reports that every year our world is becoming less peaceful. Since 2008 the average level of country peacefulness has deteriorated 3.76%. Conflict, terrorism, an increase in refugees and political tension are contributing to this. Cyprus, where Border Kitchen operates is a country divided since a conflict in 1974 with a wall between the two communities and an enduring mental, societal division, as well as physical, to this day. Attempts to reunite the island have all failed, and political disagreements feed into this continual division. 

There is however hope. In a country of just over a million inhabitants there is a group of thousands who wish to connect and build bridges with citizens from “the other side”. My Border Kitchen project has also shown that there is also another group of citizens who are curious but afraid to make that first step – we have had multiple participants for whom it has been the very first time they interacted with a Cypriot from other community. Something about connecting through food has been approachable and felt “safe enough” to do so.

Border Kitchen is a grassroots peacebuilding project, bringing together the divided communities of Cyprus, through cuisine. The project was established in 2017 and has had multiple iterations in Nicosia, the last divided capital in Europe: from dinners, to interactive food workshops and tasting events that showcase how food can unite people.

Each event brings together chefs and food producers from both “sides” of the island to work together to deliver exciting experiences to an audience of guests, also from both communities and the multiple ethnic backgrounds that call Cyprus home.

The project has already shown that food can be an extremely positive medium for people to connect over similarities, but also celebrate differences in a city that is physically divided.

Multiple partnerships have been established with private businesses in (north and south) Nicosia (particularly in the food and drink sector), other NGOs, civil society groups and individuals. The project has been covered in national and international media and has had substantial reach and overwhelming positive feedback on social media worldwide – previous events have had almost 50,000 impressions on Facebook alone with zero marketing budget.

Border Kitchen’s focus is on culture, inclusivity and nurturing relationships through food. The events are a welcoming space where people can meet and build connections and relationships. We serve communities from both “sides” of the island (Turkish and Greek Cypriot), and other communities that now call Cyprus home. We provide a safe space for people to build connections and relationships with people from the “other side”, and have been delighted to welcome those for whom this is the first time since the war that they have done so.

At previous Border Kitchens, participants have been split evenly across the sexes, with ages ranging from graduate age to retired individuals. We work to welcome all, as well as making sure to address cultural sensitivities, as this is a sensitive frozen conflict and peacebuilding situation. 

It was a dream that kept poking at my consciousness for years - and after years in "food for good" world in the UK, I had to make it a reality!

I come from a refugee heritage. I am second generation of a refugee family and understand only too well the impact of conflict, and no peace. My family is originally from Cyprus and were forced to flee because of the war there. This heritage and my years of work in the NGO sector drive me to do this work!

I have been working in the “food for good” space for six years now (both in UK and Cyprus), serving thousands of people, sharing the stories and conflicts of almost 20 countries. I have worked with large peacebuilding organisations like International Alert and my own grassroots work with Border Kitchen. 

Not everyone welcomes projects that unite divided communities, unfortunately. On one occasion I encountered difficulty getting mainstream media coverage. If I couldn’t get on a mainstream site, I decided I would take the project to people in different ways with some guerrilla marketing including late night postering and even creating project profiles on dating apps to advertise – many swiped and joined us! 

One winter I showed up in Cyprus with zero contacts and no budget, but a burning idea. It was the country of my heritage (I grew up in London). I had been working to connect people through cuisine in the UK for years, and now I wanted to do something in a country which was actually divided by conflict. In one month I found a venue, chefs and people who were intrigued and inspired enough to join me, and I delivered my first Border Kitchen event that brought together people across the divide in Cyprus. I was interviewed on national television and the response to my project was incredible. It also galvanised some local food entrepreneurs to begin connecting across the divide too! Sometimes we may not have all the “ingredients” but I think in leadership we can start creating the recipe and in time the pieces fall into place!