MIRVAT, BAGHDAD, IRAQ

As Mirvat says herself, ‘In Iraq, we like to be with our family. We sit and eat together almost every day!’ Mirvat is from Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq, where doors are always open, and people sit in front of their houses, eating bizir (roasted sunflower seeds), drinking tea and inviting anyone who passes by to join them. Here, she lived in the same house as her relatives, sleeping on the open rooftop with her parents, siblings, uncles and aunties in the hot summer evenings. In 2006, Mirvat and her family fled to Syria, and at 14 years old, Mirvat began cooking, guided by her mother, and encouraged by everyone around her. Food quickly became a way for Mirvat to care for those she loved, filling the grateful tummies of unwell neighbours and her wider community. Her parents always told her that good deeds, like cooking and cleaning for someone in need, must come from the heart. Good deeds should only be known by the people who receive them and God himself. Now, in Australia, with three beautiful children, Mirvat is living out her dream of becoming a chef, bringing her incredible food, her love and her family-values to our table.