ANJALI'S STORY.

“It makes me so happy and excited to be in this cookbook! ”

I love cooking - it’s my stress relief. This curry recipe is from India; something I’ve been cooking since I was 14 years old. I made it for the first time for my sister - when she finished school and came home, she was so excited to see I had cooked potato curry!

I loved seeing that it made her so happy; I love caring for people through cooking. Even now, if my sister or my kids are sad, I know I can cook something and make them happy. It’s the same at WAGEC (Women's & Girl's Emergency Centre) - when I cook, I can make people feel better by getting everyone sitting and eating together.

And it’s the same feeling I felt at Two Good Co, eating lunch together. I love being around people; I’m not the type to be by myself, I’ve always been surrounded by people. So eating lunch at the Two Good table with everyone was very special.

Cooking the shelter meals was very exciting – I love helping people, and the food they cook is so good. When I was living at WAGEC and saw the Two Good food in the fridge, I was able to say, “I’m working here! I cooked this!”

Two Good was a very special time for me…a completely new experience in my life. The work, the team, the mentors, the days where we could get our hair done or do photoshoots – so many experiences I never had before.

It made me feel…fresh. A new me.

I was so different, before Two Good – so shy, always quiet. Never talking, never opening my mouth…just using it to smile. But at Two Good, when I say something, everyone listened carefully and really understood me…it made me want to speak more. Now, I can have a conversation, I can shake hands…I can hug people!

Two Good built me up. It made me stronger. As a single mother with 3 young kids, I feel so lucky I got to work there. Now, I’ve got a job and I’m studying at TAFE, too…and I know that’s 100% because of Two Good. They gave me this new confidence, to take the next step.

“...I’ll never forget what they gave me.”

ANJALI.
Work Work Alumni, recipe contributor and one of the many storytellers within our Change The Course Cookbook, waiting to nourish the soul.