Team stories: Okba

I was born in Eritrea in a town called Dekemhare, 40 kilometres from the capital Asmara. I spent four years in Ethiopia as a refugee before I came to New Zealand in January 2019 with my only daughter. 

Growing up my mum, my three sisters, brother and I were very close. It was my mum who taught us to cook, she was a very good woman. Everyone in the village knew my mum, she cooked lots of things including Siwa (traditional beer made with toasted bread). People from the village would come and eat her food, drink together, my mum made everything.

My favourite thing to eat as a child was Zigni (meat stew) made with lamb. Once I wanted to cook this when I was young. I made it in our traditional pot, which was made of clay. I took it off the stove and put it on the ground because it was too hot. Then I accidentally sat on it, and it broke, and the meat went everywhere, all over the ground. The whole house smelt of it for ages!

I love being part of Share Kai, I’ve learned many things and feel like I’m growing. We all share and learn together from each other, we’re all from different cultures, and we know different things. I like the name Share Kai, we’re sharing among ourselves, as well as with our customers and other communities. It’s so good, it makes me so happy to think about the future!

Okba serves traditional Eritrean coffee at Share Kai and Kōrero in Kaiapo, 2023.