Interview with Mo from Mo Catering
Hey my name is Amy and this year I am part of the promotion team of Go Green Office! I have had an interview with Mo who owns a catering company in Eindhoven called “Mo Kitchen”. I already knew Mo since he sold his food at the TU/e multiple times, that’s why I decided to reach out to him for an interview. Our three pillars of good food are: 1. Green, 2. healthy and 3. fair. I wanted to see whether this catering is consistent with the three pillars of good food 🙂
Mo’s kitchen is started by Mo, a Syrian entrepreneur chef. He was born and raised in Aleppo, Syria. He came to Eindhoven multiple years ago as one of the 11 million Syrians who have fled their homes since the outbreak of the war in March 2011.
Mo left everything but his memories and his passion for Traditional food. Cooking his traditional food reminds him of his family, his country, and who he is. He started to cook when he was 16. He helped at his family business. They had an Arabic sweets shop and a catering service. Mo learned from his grandmother mainly. She taught Mo how to cook with very simple equipment using special skills.
When in the Netherlands, he started with making dinner for friends, who offered to pay him in return for it. Then he started recognizing that’s normal in the West Culture and the idea came up to make a business out of it.
Then, he started cooking for birthday parties and festivals. The vegan falafel meal was very popular! Finally, it became a catering company and got offers from the TU/e. Then, the covid measurements pushed him in another direction and he started collaborating with Social Deal.
Mo is specialized in Middle Eastern food. He makes main dishes, side dishes, and desserts. Later, he started connecting with vegan and vegetarian people. Only he found out that vegan food often lacks special flavors and taste. There his new concept developed: Tasteful vegan food from different countries!
His love for cooking and his willingness to share with the people mainly drives him. The big differences in cultures inspired him to share. When people were first trying his food they thought it was very special. Therefore, it’s not only about the food but also about the experience and the conversation.
Mo loved to cook Aleppo Cuisine, but he also prepared many dishes from Lebanese Turkish and Middle Eastern kitchens. His favorite dish is Hummus because it’s simple but full of flavor and always makes you smile, just like Mo.
The first Good Food pillar is Green. The food footprint should be as small as possible. Locally produced food is an example of this because less transport is required and therefore less fossil fuels or other forms of energy are used to transport the food. This can have a positive effect on climate change. Mo contributes to this by cooking vegan. This involves a smaller footprint. Moreover, you can pick up your own food from him via Social Deal, therefore it’s your choice to take the bike!
The second Good Food pillar is Healthy. The diet must have a positive effect on human vitality. The shift from diets that rely heavily on animal products to more plant-based products has the potential to mitigate negative effects on several problem areas. Choosing plant foods and meals should be an easy option. Plant-based foods need to be more accessible, so if you decide to stop eating meat, a good meat substitute should be available. Since Mo’s food is vegan, it’s easy for the body to process. Moreover, Mo only uses products without chemical additions in it.
The third Good Food pillar is Fair. Food pricing should be fair. In this case, animals must be properly treated and protected. Grants must be allocated to sustainable food production, with mandatory measures for environmental, climate, animal welfare, and public health improvements. True pricing takes into account the impact on the environment and society. Mo buys his ingrediënts from a local shop. You’ll be surprised but actually, anything you need, also for dishes from other countries, can be found in Eindhoven.
As a message to all students: “Take care of yourself and eat healthy because nobody will do that for you. In the end, we are what we eat. Moreover: Try new things! Eat something different and new to find out what supports your body best. When the body is happy we can be happy as well!”
Mo believes good food is important for everyone, also students. Therefore he wants to make it affordable for everyone. He wants to support you with a discount! You can find all of his dishes on his website. Or you can call him via 0640976660. Finally, you can order his deal via Social Deal. We would recommend doing so because his food is Syriously good.