Team stories: Freweini

I am Eritrean, but I was born in Ethiopia. I am the middle child of 6 siblings. I lived in between Eritrea and Ethiopia as a refugee before I came to New Zealand 5 years ago with my daughter. She is now 10 years old.

My mum taught me to cook. She taught me lots of dishes, and by 12 years old I could cook everything. I still remember the smell of her cooking.

Now I like cooking with my daughter. I try to teach her everything I know, like my mum taught me and we have fun together. Although she tries to tell me she can just learn from YouTube! I feel so loved when my daughter cooks for me.

My favourite thing to cook is anything with meat - it’s good for your mood to have a big hearty meal. I love the meat dishes we make for Share Kai, and people always bring their plates back clean and say that they’re happy and full. That makes me feel good.

I like everything about Share Kai and being part of the Cooks Collective. I’ve learned so much about other people and met so many really friendly people. My confidence has grown so much, and I’ve made new friends with the women I work with. I've been motivated to join the weekly English classes so I can talk more with people.

My favourite Share Kai memory was when I first tried momos (dumplings) from our Nepali Cooks Collective members, and I love seeing people having a big meal out with their friends at our events

Freweini (picutred left) serves an Eritrean meal at our Ōtautahi Welcoming Dinner, September 2025.