Kim #mixedmonday
This weeks #mixedmonday is one of Beyond the Mix's non executive directors, Kim Prado. Kim is hosting our Cook Up this Saturday 22nd April, 2pm-4pm at Easton Community Centre. Tickets are still available through the link in our bio.
I am a British-Cape Verdean 39 year old woman based in Bristol. I am a proud single mother, Social Entrepreneur and anti-slavery activist. I left my home town in Somerset to travel the world and learn cookery on my 17th birthday. I went to the Channel Islands, India, Australia, Portugal, Morocco and many other places, cooking and exploring. I have studies Contemporary Dance and several holistic therapies, as well as an International Relations degree at Bristol University. Now I run a catering social enterprise that supports migrant women and survivors of slavery.
I founded @houriacateringbristol just before the pandemic. We offer free training and paid work to women in Bristol who experience multiple barriers to employment and safe living in Bristol. We serve at large and small events in Bristol, as well as our own Supper Clubs and cook along classes and even a takeaway service. We also educate about modern slavery and racism in Bristol for other companies and our own volunteers. We host seasonal Women Elders' Feasts at the stunning Boiling Wells site as well as regular Sisterhood gatherings for our growing community. Our menus are as diverse as we are. Come check us out if you haven't already. We now have a permanent home at Easton Community Centre.
How would you describe your ethnicity?
I think of myself as being British-Cape Verdean. My English mum met my Cape Verdean dad when he docked in Watchet, Somerset in the late 1960's. I recently learnt that Watchet was funded and celebrated by a Portuguese queen, Catherine, in the Tudorian era. Finding that out made me feel more connected to the place because of my own father's family connection to Portuguese royalty. It was such a white town, growing up. We were never told about the queen and our shared heritage, strangely. That's now something we can claim and feel proud of.
Has your mixed-ness influenced your career in any way?
Most definitely. I purposefully utilise my mixedness as a bridge between communities, particularly between Africa and Britain in my work, activism and art.
If you could describe your mixed identity in one word, what would it be?
Bridge.
What is the best thing about being mixed heritage?
The universality of our look. There's (maybe ironically) a common sense of freedom and belonging when travelling internationally. Because it's not easy to place us we can easily fit in whether it's in the Australian outback or the Caribbean. I've had lots of opportunities to get involved in things abroad because of this.
