Cooking with care

When we met Mustafa El Haddad, he greeted us warmly. You could tell right away that he was a natural storyteller in the way he shared stories and insights about his life and told us that he is writing a book. Mustafa is well known in the building, having lived at 682 Warden Avenue in Scarborough for many years. He once served as a tenant representative and has continued to be an active voice in his building, empowering other tenants to do the same. 

Since COVID-19, Mustafa has been cooking for tenants in his building. The idea first came to him when the building superintendent showed Mustafa the many cans of fruit and vegetables from the food bank that were being discarded behind the building because tenants didn’t know what to do with them. Seeing the amount of food waste moved him to act, and he soon took over the building's community kitchen. Since then, he’s been cooking up a storm. 

“Here we are, six, seven years into it and it’s working,” he said. Tenants give him the ingredients, and Mustafa turns them into well-balanced meals of vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates.

Mustafa believes passionately that “the kitchen is the heart and mind of the building,” and that the smell of cooking helps to trigger feelings of home and belonging to tenants. “When I fry eggs, you feel like you’re at home. This is home,” he said, gesturing with his hand to the space around him. It was his mother’s cooking where he saw firsthand how food had the ability to lift spirits, heal and unite people.

“When I came to this kitchen, I didn’t know how to cook,” Mustafa confessed. However, over time, he learned from tenants around him, which ignited a deep love and passion for cooking. Mustafa prides himself on his beef macaroni dish, which has been popular with tenants. He doesn’t cook from recipes but adapts his meals to whatever supplies he has on-hand. A team of four volunteers help him cook upwards of forty meals a day, which are delivered to tenants in their apartments. Food is delivered daily in the afternoon. During the weekend, meals are brought in by Bayview Glen Church for the tenants. On holidays and special occasions, he cooks a turkey. 

A few weeks ago, Mustafa received $500 in gift cards from an anonymous Toronto Community Housing donor. He is extremely grateful, noting they will go a long way in purchasing groceries and supplies like herbs, spices, and cookware, to create better meals. The kitchen has recently been outfitted with new appliances and countertops. He laughs and says he’s from the stone age when it comes to using the latest kitchen gadgets. No matter the tools Mustafa uses, the care is there, and tenants are grateful for the service he provides. A tenant who came down to the kitchen to fill his plate with food was appreciative, saying “Mustafa is a very hard worker,” and that he enjoys everything that he cooks.