By Holly McGuinness
A former We are Brimbank awards winner is encouraging people to apply for this year’s awards.
Café Sunshine & SalamaTea manager Hamed Allahyari took out the Employment and Enterprise Award for his Sunshine business in 2021.
“We are social enterprises cafe by day and restaurant by night on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights,” he said.
“We employ asylum seekers, refugees and new immigrants who are struggling to find their first job in Australia.”
When Mr Allahyari first moved to Australia, he struggled to find a job.
A chef by trade he says he applied to 50 or 60 restaurants before opening Café Sunshine & Salama Tea.
Mr Allahyari has had a busy year since last year’s awards and the next chapter will see his very own recipe book ‘Salamati’ that celebrates Persian cooking and culture released in September.
The We are Brimbank awards feature five different categories and celebrate groups and organisations in Brimbank who strive to make a difference across the region.
The categories include Culture, Arts & Tourism, Environment & Sustainability, Employment & Enterprise Award, Inclusive Brimbank and Learning Excellence.
Nominations are open until 5pm on Friday, September 2.
The awards will be judged by a panel of community leaders, with the winners announced Friday, October 28.
Details: www.brimbank.vic.gov.au/waba.
