The Ministry of Food truck can be hired for events and catering. Photo: Supplied, The Ministry of Food.
In recent years Canberra has seen a proliferation of businesses combining their passion for food and hospitality with a desire to do good in the world.
From Cafe Stepping Stone’s mission of providing employment pathways to migrant and refugee women, to Queer Food telling little-known stories from LGBTQIA+ icons through their creative dishes, or the inclusive employment and tasty sweet treats of Krofne doughnuts, there are plenty of ways to get something delicious to eat while supporting a good cause.
Edward Nathan is another local exploring the ‘food for good’ business model through his food truck The Ministry of Food.
“We use the truck to train people with disabilities and other disadvantages, but most importantly, the food is very good! This is the food I’ve been cooking for over 30 years,” Edward told Region.
“The truck itself is designed to be self-funding and self determining. We want to give back to the community.”
The Ministry of Food serves Malay-Indian food. Photo: Supplied, The Ministry of Food.
The food truck serves a menu of Malaysian, Indian and Australian fusion. Edward said he designed this menu to be flexible, to stand out at events and to honour his own Malay heritage.
He also wants the food to be affordable – a curry of the day will set you back just $15 – and they often give out free tea and coffee when they park up at Mt Rogers on the first Saturday of each month.
“We’ve found that people really want to stay and have a chat. That’s just as important as the food – offering that community.”
Edward also runs registered training organisation JCE Positive Outcomes, which trains apprentice chefs. This gives them a unique ability to use the truck as a way to provide on-the-job training to people who otherwise face barriers to employment.
They’re focussing on inclusive training for people with disabilities, and are also looking at ways to provide training for formerly incarcerated young people.
Edward Nathan with his wife Lynn Benedix–Nathan, who is the project manager of The Ministry of Food. Photo: Supplied, The Ministry of Food.
At the moment the truck focuses on events and catering, but the team is looking for a place to park up during the week. All leftover meals are frozen and donated to food banks and charities, and he also teams up with other groups to offer hot meals to unhoused people and others doing it tough.
Edward is pragmatic that one food truck can’t change the world. But he has a plan.
“I would like to see 100 of these trucks around Australia in the next 10 years! That’s the big picture so we can reach a wider audience.
“A lot of community organisations don’t know how to reach people, but we can set up the truck, train them to run it and then they can do whatever they want with it.”
The team has recently graduated six students, and are looking to find more ways to help people who have slipped through the cracks.
Find out more about The Ministry of Food – including information about how to hire the truck for an event – on the business’s website, and follow it on Facebook or Instagram.
