We organised, at the end of March 2026, a Youth Challenge Event that brought together young women from different ethnic backgrounds to promote cross-cultural
understanding and break down barriers, funded through RMBC’s Community
Recovery Fund budget, administered by Voluntary Action Rotherham.

The Cultural Infusion: The Master Chef Challenge was a fun event for young women
aged 11 and older, delivered in partnership with Liberty Church. 15 young women
obtained level 2 in food and hygiene took part in the Master Chef Challenge,
cooking a traditional dish representing South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East
cultures.

The group was split into 3 groups of 5 to prepare food for the master chef challenge…

Starter
Young women from the Kurdish community prepared the starter, which was…

Freshly made hummus with fried crackers
Kurdish salad
Kurdish chickpea soup.

Main dish
Young women from the Pakistani community prepared the main course…

Boiled rice with chillies
Yellow split lentil rice
Salad with mint sauce dressing.

Sweet dish
The young women from the African community prepared the sweet dish…

Coconut macaroon
Fresh-baked cake rolls (suku Suku)
Ice cream, strawberry, and chocolate.

The food was scored by a panel of four judges from Steel City, Liberty Church, and
Ashway Dance. The winners of the Master Chef challenge were the young Kurdish
women, who scored 20 out of 20.

The impact of the event has been to strengthen the work between Steel City and
Liberty Church.