Started: October 2012
Based: London
Website: www.mazimas.co.uk
Twitter: @eatmazimas
Categories: Food, Community Action

Mazí Mas is a social enterprise that creates and sells authentic home cooking via pop up restaurants across London while employing women from migrant and refugee communities.

It was set up in October 2012 with the aim of helping unemployed women showcase and capitalise on their culinary skills while providing them with the skills to set up their own businesses.

The company is the brainchild of Nikandre Kopcke - a half Greek, half German chef who was inspired by her Greek godmother to help migrant women gain skills and realise their potential.

While her godmother never had the opportunity to open up her own bakery, Nikandre is encouraging a whole new generation of women to follow their culinary ambitions by cooking affordable, authentic and carefully sourced home cooked food.

Mazi Mas currently has six female chefs who live in London, with roots all over the world including Brazil, Peru, Iran, Ethiopia, Senegal and the Philippines.

To date, Mazi Mas has run a series of highly successful pop-ups at The Albany arts centre in Deptford, month-long residencies at The Yard theatre and has hosted sold-out pop-ups in New Cross, Brixton and Wandsworth. The team have even spoken about their work at Parliament.

Nikandre's ultimate aim is to build a permanent restaurant run by women cooking specialist dishes every day of the week. The Mazi Mas model is growing internationally, with a similar scheme currently in development in Sydney, Australia.