Edinburgh Community Food opens new kitchen hub

The new kitchen hub at Edinburgh Community Food (ECF) was opened by Scottish chef Tony Singh, MBE.

Tony served up a colourful, bean-based dish to mark the occasion.

The new facility is designed to feel like stepping into a friend’s home and is more than just a kitchen.

The services offered will provide all round support for vulnerable individuals and families and has been created in response to the National strategy of Whole Family Support, which aims to eradicate child poverty.

Created around the idea of kitchen table chats, the room is decorated with colourful vegetables and trailing plants, and is an inviting space where families can receive support and learn simple cooking skills while sharing nutritious meals.

Brenda Black, CEO of Edinburgh Community Food, said: “We wanted it to feel like a home, because that’s where the best conversations happen and where support feels natural.

“At the heart of our plans is the kitchen, not just for cooking, but for connection and culture. Here, we will mix and blend spices, symbolising how families and cultures come together to create something greater than the sum of their parts. Just as spices enrich a dish, diversity and togetherness enrich our communities.”

“We know that when food is better, relationships at home are stronger. In fact, 91% of families tell us that good food makes a real difference to family life. Our work is grounded in this truth: food is more than nutrition — it is connection, harmony, and the foundation of healthier, happier communities.

“People can come for a ‘chat and chilli,’ swap recipes, learn new cooking skills and simply enjoy time together in a friendly, judgement-free environment.

“This kitchen is about more than cooking — it’s about connection.

“We want families to feel at ease and to know they have a place to come where food, friendship and support are always on the table.”

Independent of traditional services and a deliberate departure from the clinical settings often used to deliver support, the kitchen is deigned to welcome service users and offer dignity and anonymity.

Following a successful pilot of these services as part of the Edinburgh Family Support Partnership (EFSP), the kitchen is to be the flagship of around 10 new community hubs offering services to vulnerable individuals and families who might otherwise fall into the Social Care Gap (the 95% of vulnerable individuals and families who are referred to Social Care but do not qualify for Statutory Services).