Café Utopia

Hej!

My name is Josephine, I’m from Germany and I decided to be a volunteer for 10 months in Denmark.

About the café:

I worked at Café Utopia in Holstebro. It is a beautiful café with about 30 very kind workers, who make and serve the food as well as run the café. Most of them have a mental diagnosis, which is why they have working hours that are adapted to them. This is not the only thing that makes the café special, but also the fact that the dishes prepared are environmentally conscious and varied. Whether vegan, gluten-free or lactose-free, there is something delicious for everyone.

What I did:

I spent most of my time helping in the kitchen. I baked bread, made delicious dips and prepared the dishes. Not only did I gain valuable skills, but above all I got to know some incredibly lovely people.

About my project:

First idea

As I worked in a café that had a kitchen that I could use, I originally planned to do a project against food waste and help the homeless at the same time. I wanted to use „too good to go“ leftovers for cooking and baking and distribute them to the homeless. I already had people who would help me plan and prepare the food. I also knew which supermarkets I wanted to approach until I had a conversation about the food we would get. As the supermarkets don’t know what they have left at the end of the day and these products would come in large quantities, we had to be very quick to find a dish and also buy extra ingredients that we needed to prepare it. There was also the possibility of getting something we couldn’t use, such as spoilt food. That’s why I changed my mind.

Final project

The staff at the café organise a summer party every summer, which they plan entirely themselves. I decided to join the team and prepare some of the dishes that my German family always cooks for such parties. Firstly, we had to find a date and time for the party in order to write a letter of invitation. One of my colleagues decided to schedule the party for the end of my stay and rename it Summer and Farewell Party. I then drafted the invitation letter, which we displayed in the café for all employees to sign.

The next step was to find suitable dishes. As we only found out a few days before the date exactly how many people would be coming, we needed something flexible. As barbecuing is a popular way to celebrate summer in Germany and Denmark, we decided to go for it. I prepared barbecue salads and made a German dessert. I also helped decorate the house and prepare everything else needed for the party.

In the end, we had a great party with happy guests and a fitting European Championship football match with Denmark against Germany.

Reflections:

Although my first planned project didn’t work out as I had hoped, I found a new project with cultural aspects. I had the opportunity to share a part of my culture with others and show that Denmark and Germany are more similar than many people think. What I have learnt is that communication and time management are key to make a project. I started planning my first project relatively early, so I had enough time to think about other possibilities. It was good that I shared my ideas with other people. This gave me a different perspective and more ideas on how to achieve my goal.