A slice of hope

CHUA BAIZHEN

A group of 10 friends sit around a long wooden table, bathed in soft amber light, chatting noisily and eating the last slices of a birthday cake.

The evening breeze brought from the kitchen a hint of burnt pizza crust. It felt just like another night at an alfresco café in Singapore.

But beyond the perimeter of this bungalow-turn-restaurant, rubble piles, broken fences and crumbled walls reminded of the deadly tsunami waves that swept across much of Meulaboh nine months ago.

Café Mulia Hati is not a daring business venture into the post-disaster district, but a unique setup designed to teach culinary, waitressing and dishwashing skills to tsunami survivors.

Ms Catherine Meijer, director of Yayasan Mulia Hati - the social welfare organisation behind the programme, thinks there is money to be made in the Western food business in Meulaboh.

"With the many foreign NGO workers around, there is this short window of opportunity," said Ms Meijer.

"We're telling our girls: 'Get in there!'" she added.

A three-month programme co-funded by United Nations Development Programme and Samaritan's Purse, its trainees attend classes taught by professionals, and receive on-the-job training.

They either learn waitressing, dishwashing or a cookery specialisation in one of three kitchens. The hot kitchen produces pizzas, burritos and the like, the cool kitchen, where salads and juices are made; and the bakery, which caters to popular orders like cheese and apple cakes. In total, the café's menu has 30 dishes.

"After I finish this course, I will go out and start my own restaurant," said 29-year-old trainee Rubiyah while kneading pizza dough.