Stay Home with Scarf Monday 10 June 2020 The COVID pandemic has Scarf feeling a little out of sorts. We had a solid plan for 2020, which included kicking off with an Autumn Scarf '20 season at one of our favourite Melbourne venues, Stomping Ground Beer Hall. But current restaurant restrictions mean Scarf Dinners are on hold for the foreseeable future. So, during this time, we're encouraging our regular diners (and new supporters!) to 'Stay Home with Scarf', and celebrate community, culture and connection during a pretty strange time. We see this as a great opportunity to try a new cuisine (while supporting Melbourne restaurants, who need us more than ever right now), to learn about the journeys of Scarf graduates (and understand more deeply the challenges they've faced, and their awesome achievements) and perhaps even grow your knowledge about how people from refugee backgrounds have profoundly contributed to Australia. Here's something to ponder: Once successful integration has occurred, refugees are able to quickly make permanent cultural, social and economic contributions and infuse vitality, humanitarian values and multiculturalism into the communities into which they are resettled* (* From Economic, civic and social contributions of refugees and humanitarian entrants: A literature review) If you're keen to 'Stay Home with Scarf' (and let's face it Melburnians, we don't have a whole lot of options at the moment), you can do any or all of the below: 1. Hear directly from Scarf's graduates through Q + A's which highlight their resilience, talents and awesome achievements. We're on Facebook and Instagram and we'll be sharing new graduate Q&A's every couple of weeks! Hear from inspiring Scarf graduates like Mel, Hayuran, Liz and Wesley. 2. Support Scarf's awesome partner restaurants and sponsors. The Melbourne hospitality industry is doing it really tough at the moment. We're encouraging you to support the businesses who've been incredibly generous to Scarf and helped us provide real work experience to our trainees so they can move into jobs beyond the program. 3. Start a conversation about people seeking asylum and those from refugee backgrounds. While you're spending extra time at home, learning more about Scarf graduates and eating delicious cuisines from around the world, why not steer the dinner table conversation away from COVID? Heck, we could all do with a break from it! You might like to check out RCOA's Myths and Facts about Refugees and Asylum Seekers or this report on the Economic, civic and social contributions of refugees and humanitarian entrants. . We've listed our Partner Restaurants who are currently offering takeaway below, and a link to our amazing sponsors too. It's a tricky time for restaurants with restrictions changing regularly, so please check in directly with the restaurant via their website or socials to access the most up to date info on what they're offering! . Support Scarf Partner Restaurants . . Ladro / Fitzroy and Prahran / Italian Ladro partnered with us for our Tasting Plate '19 pop-up Scarf Dinners in September 2019. We've also runs tons of training in their Gertrude St digs over the years. They're currently offering takeaway pizzas, pasta and other delicious things AND they've set up a Ladro supermarket selling freshly made pasta, sauce, and top-notch vino. > Order now from Ladro > Read our Q & A with Ladro co-owner Sean Kierce . . Uncle / CBD / Vietnamese We loved partnering with Uncle for last year's Winter Scarf season, and were stoked to return there for a special event we ran for the Melbourne Women's Fund. Their take away offering is one of the tastiest in town, with the likes of crispy chicken bao, bowls of warming fragrant pho, and more. > Order now from Uncle > Read our Q&A with Uncle co-owner Rene Spence . . Bhang / Brunswick / Indian Bhang were our partner restaurant for Winter Scarf '18. They make seriously delicious Indian food which is available for takeaway from Tuesday - Saturday nights. If you order via phone and pick it up, they'll take 10% off your order. Score! We can't go past their Hyderabad "charcoal chicken" and Pumpkin Olan with a side of freshly baked naan. > Order now from Bhang . . Copper Pot / Seddon / European The legends at Copper Pot have hosted multiple Scarf 'Pop-Up' Dinners during previous Tasting Plate programs in Melbourne's west. Their typical menu is modern European, and during the lockdown they're doing some really solid weeknight specials, and selling some quality vino. You can also order fruit 'n' veg boxes and local eggs from them. > Order now from Copper Pot Seddon . . . Rumi / East Brunswick / Middle Eastern Rumi was our partner restaurant for Winter Scarf '11, back in the very early days! They've also supported multiple Scarf fundraising initiatives with donated prizes. Their middle-eastern menu has plenty of deliciousness, and their slow-cooked lamb shoulder is famous for good reason. > Order now from Rumi . . . Epocha / Carlton / European Epocha was our partner restaurant for Winter Scarf '13, and they've generously donated lots of prized to Scarf fundraising initiatives over the years. Their seasonal menu draws inspiration from our European culture and its cuisines whilst using the best of local Australian produce. > Order now from Epocha . . If you're someone who loves to share photos of what you're eating and drinking on socials, please use the hashtag #stayhomewithscarf so we can get amongst the love-fest. . Support Scarf Sponsors Scarf sponsors are a bunch of absolute legends who generously provide our social enterprise with in-kind product donations, so if you need beer, wine, soft drink, bread, tea, coffee, gin or whisky (or all of the above!) please check out our current Sponsors and get ordering! . We'll be sharing bits and pieces about our sponsors via social media in the coming weeks, but to kick off, we're encouraging you to grab some frothies from Stomping Ground. In partnership with one of Scarf's other amazing sponsors, Worksmith, they've just released a very special, limited edition 'Tip Jar' lager, and some of the profits will be directed to Scarf via the Tip Jar Fund. Too good! > Purchase Tip Jar lager from Worksmith Collingwood > Order other Stomping Ground goodness here . . . And if you're looking for something soft, please give our friends at Daylesford and Hepburn Mineral Springs Co a shout. They're offering home deliveries of their beautiful mineral waters, kombuchas and juices. They even have a new 'low sugar' range with fancy flavours like cucumber and mint! Yum. > Order here for home delivery > Read our interview with DHMSCo founder Brylie here . .