“We are more alike than we are unalike, and we can learn a lot about each other by breaking bread together.”
– Maya Angelou
WHAT WAS THE YOUTH EXCHANGE ABOUT?
Workshops
10+ workshops on sustainable nutrition and well-being
Cultural evenings and traditional recipes
6 cooking sessions led by the participants themselves, where they taught young people from other countries recipes from their families and communities
Fermentation and the microbiome
Creation of fermented foods – sourdough, kefir, plant-based cheeses
Wild herbs and local resources
Collecting and exploring wild plants
Mindful eating and presence
Mindfulness practices and stress-management techniques
Digital storytelling
Entertaining popularizing videos created by the participants
The effects of the youth exchange
The cookbook
This cookbook was created as part of the Authentic Food, Authentic Connections project, bringing together young people from different European countries to explore food culture, mindful cooking, and community living. The recipes collected here reflect not only traditional dishes, but also the intercultural learning, cooperation, and friendships built during the exchange. We invite you to explore, cook, and share these recipes with others.
Read the cookbook here
The Project Video
While the cookbook gathers our recipes and stories, the video captures the moments in between — the laughter in the kitchen, the shared meals, the walks, the music, and the small everyday moments that made this experience what it was. Together, the book and the video tell the story of Authentic Food, Authentic Connections — a story of food, people, and the connections we created along the way.
Recorded and edited by Eve Enfer
Participant’s videos
After the cookbook and the project video, these are the participants’ own stories.
Created during a storytelling workshop, each video is based on one idea: anything can be a hero. Through these stories, ordinary objects and small moments become meaningful, reminding us that stories are everywhere, and that everyone can be a storyteller.
A chair-ing thriller
Hammering love story
Friday the 13th Kombucha
Apple love
Fermentation fails
Captured moments
A collection of moments from the Authentic Food, Authentic Connections youth exchange: from the kitchen to the campfire, from workshops to shared meals.
Local Events
After the mobility ended, the participants returned to their home countries inspired and full of ideas.
They organized events and workshops for their local communities to share the experience and inspiration that Authentic Food, Authentic Connections had brought them. In this way, the project continued beyond the exchange itself.
Presentations on plant-based nutrition
Sustainable cooking workshops
Educational events about reducing food waste
Mindful eating gatherings
THE TEAM BEHIND AUTHENTIC FOOD, AUTHENTIC CONNECTIONS
Program Lead, Facilitation, logistics, Communication
The whole is much more than the sum of its part. Meet the team that made Authentic Food, Authentic Connections happen:
Toni Lyubenova
Trainer & Non-Formal Education Facilitator
Pedro Pesco
Fermentation Workshop Leader & Food Educator
Katya Radovanova
Facilitator & Mindfulness Guide
Vera Nedelcheva
Creative Facilitator & Experience Designer
Ellie Chelakova
Cooking & Mindful Eating
Dmitriy Lypko
Cooking Support & Kombucha master
Eve Enfer
Editor, Photographer & Project Documentation
WHAT PARTICIPANTS SAID
Testimonials
“I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I say that this project changed my life. I became a completely different person – more confident and more connected with my emotions. This project is truly unique and will forever have a special place in my heart.”
Gergana, Bulgaria
“This was one of the most memorable, beautiful and valuable experiences in my life. The project truly made me reflect and changed my daily life for the better.”
Gerda, Lithuania
“Thank you for showing me what community means and how we can create it together through cooking and sharing a meal.”
Adela, Slovakia
AND IT ALL STARTED WITH JUST ONE IDEA
Erasmus+ Infopack
In the Authentic Food, Authentic Connections project, we were looking for young people who are curious about food, culture, and the way we connect to ourselves and others through everyday experiences. Not professional cooks, but people with the desire to learn, share, and explore: people who bring motivation to grow, openness to new perspectives, and willingness to step out of their comfort zones. We wanted participants who are curious, open-minded, and ready to live, cook, and learn together in a multicultural environment, inspire one another, and share a part of their own story through food.
A wise author once said:
“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… The people who give you their food give you their heart.”
— Cesar Chavez
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
SUSTAINABILITY. CONNECTION. AWARENESS.
This project showed that when young people gather around a shared value – health and sustainability – they do not just cook. Food became a tool for personal development and social change.
Self-confidence
Civic engagement
Environmental responsibility
Cultural awareness
Funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Programme and the Human Resource Development Centre.. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
This is my inspiration for this theme and it is something I recently discovered as a mindset. I found new logic for my entire life through caring for another and how much hope that brings to an individual when they have to do things to make another creature’s life better and not their own. Which of course makes everyone in the equation happy.