Foodie making ‘Swift’ moves to change the future of catering with online marketplace for refugees and immigrant chefs

Young foodie and self confessed ‘Swiftie’ Yuru Guo is leaving no ‘blank space’ when it comes to her business that is supporting independent chefs from diverse backgrounds to thrive in the UK industry.

The 27-year-old got the idea of setting up her social enterprise ‘Hey! Food Is Ready!’ when she was at Durham University. She wanted to connect and make friends through food - and has now gone on to cater the pre-event as part of Taylor Swift’s latest world tour at Wembley Stadium and has even catered for the British Royal Family.

Hey! Food is Ready! connects certified cooks from minority ethnic groups with companies seeking catering for events. The platform helps refugee, immigrant and stay-at-home cooks, to share their culture and stories while generating income. So far, the organisation’s chef community represents over 60 countries, and 80% of the chefs represented are female, compared to the industry standard of professional chefs, which is only 19%.

Yuru, who has previously lived in New York, New Delhi and European cities and has family roots in Korea and China, now lives in Willesden Green, North London.

She said: “I think for people coming to a new country they can feel very disconnected from the community and their culture, and one of the main things that we can connect on is food. Food is the universal language.

“I was living in Durham, and was sharing accommodation with people from all around the world, and I started hosting a Friday night potluck dinner together. And each of our friends would bring a dish that was part of their culture, a family recipe, and we would share the food and stories.

“And I thought, why don't I create this, a platform where people, like my friends, can use it to share their native food cultures and family recipes with the wider community.

“Also, I thought why can’t I help people gain a meaningful income through the platform. So like the idea of Uber or Airbnb, I was helping people to make a side hustle in the food space.

“Now it has grown into a catering marketplace platform connecting independent chefs from different cultural backgrounds with companies looking for a diverse selection of event catering options.

“Being such a big Taylor Swift fan it was a dream come true to cater for the pre show event and then get to watch the show. And to have catered for the British Royal Family and events like Conde Nast is amazing, and we hope to continue to provide these diverse opportunities for those from diverse backgrounds.”

Yuru has already worked with 125 independent chefs from diverse backgrounds and has now been successful in gaining £18,000 from the Funding Futures Programme - to further grow the platform, with 350 chefs already on the waiting list to work with the social enterprise.

The Funding Futures Programme - a joint fund from Unltd, Co-op Foundation and Phoenix Group and delivered by Unltd - has been set up to support young social entrepreneurs working in the areas of financial inclusion and literacy.

She added: “What I love about working with UnLtd is that not only are you supported financially with your ambitions for growth but you get to network with like minded people who want to make change in the community and they provide inspiration to thrive.”

Mark Norbury, CEO of UnLtd, said: “Young people make great social entrepreneurs - creative and energetic in their vision of a better society, not afraid to challenge political and structural norms, collaborative and democratic in their approach, leading with empathy and compassion.

“Yuru and our other award winners embody this. She has drawn on her personal experience to develop a brilliant solution for her community. She’s going to make life better for generations to come. This is why we designed the programme with young people - and why their impact and potential are so exciting. Our entrepreneurs’ insights and experiences will shape impactful solutions today to tackle tomorrow’s challenges.”

Nick Crofts, CEO of the Co-op Foundation, said: "The Funding Futures Programme is a big part of how we’re building communities of the future together at the Co-op Foundation. It’s been inspiring to work closely with young people in the co-design process, ensuring that their perspectives drive meaningful, relevant change. By empowering young leaders with both resources and a platform, we’re confident that they will make a lasting impact in their communities.”

Gail Izat, Workplace Managing Director at Standard Life, part of Phoenix Group, said: “Phoenix Group is proud to support the Funding Futures programme, which places young people’s voices and ideas at the forefront. We can’t wait to see how each of these young leaders will bring their vision to life and the positive changes they will inspire and influence.”

For more information on the UnLtd Funding Futures programme visit: https://www.unltd.org.uk/awards/funding-futures-programme and visit Hey! Food Is Ready! here https://www.heyfoodisready.com