Dorinda Hafner: A Culinary Pioneer and Advocate for Cultural Harmony

Australia will probably never stop to attract people from all corners of the world. It’s a dream that most emigrants hide in secret but can turn into reality for some lucky ones. Dorinda Hafner is one of the rare Ghanaian immigrants who chose to reach Australia instead of Europe. By the way, Dorinda grew up in London, UK, where she was trained as a nurse and became a mom of two.

A Ghanaian Chef In Australia

The Land of the Kangaroos offered Dorinda the wind of change that she was looking for. She hated the long rainy days in London, where light can be scarce for up to three months in a row. Australia, with its beautiful ocean, vibrant colors, and crazy nightlife, appeared to Dolinda’s eyes as the most enchanting place on Earth. And she was right because she could find a lot of fresh air and light in Adelaide, the city where she established with her family.

The environment was completely different from what she had left in London: people seemed to approach her like a foreigner, making Dorinda feel like a true stranger in Australia. Aussies aren’t probably that familiar with people of different cultures. After all, Adelaide is not London. But the new place soon displayed its positive aspects to Dorinda. Australia offers more amusement opportunities and family amenities than the UK. Also, people love betting on anything possible, from sports events to colorful game machines called pokies. Pokies are very popular in Australia and the most exported casino products worldwide. Most Aussies who can’t reach a physical casino can find here a trusted and reputable online casino for real money pokies.

Beyond Racism – When Food Helps Socialization

Becoming a new citizen in a lively and nature-immersive country like Australia might be easy for most Western people. But for Ghanaian chef Dorinda, the beginnings weren’t too easy. Her children got attacked by racist phrases at school, which inspired Dorinda to play a role in reshaping Australia’s approach to foreign cultures.

What did she do, then? She developed a food initiative for schools. And the idea boomed among the children’s parents! Some of them appreciated Dorinda’s culinary art to the point of inviting her to cook for their parties in their homes. The African cuisine, with its exotic flavors, had conquered the heart of everyone. In no time, Dorinda got a two-year-long waiting list of parents who booked her for their parties and dinners. Dorinda was running short of time for herself and her family. So, she thought she’d better find another solution.

Dorinda’s TV And Writing Career

Dorinda thought she could write a program and apply for the SBS. If she could get it on TV, she would have had a set of time for filming and could spend the rest of her time with her family. That was exactly what happened with Ghanaian chef Dorinda. Her popularity in Australia diffused so much that Channel 4 London decided to pick her program up. After that, an American TV channel did the same. In a short time, Dorinda’s program was available in 48 countries!

The success escalation continued with the following step – Dorinda thought of writing a book. This way, she started with her first title, “A Taste of Africa Become a Wonderful Success, Thank God!”. As far, she has released seven books about cooking and how appreciating a foreign cuisine can help people stay together peacefully, no matter how different their cultures can be.

Let’s Learn Acceptance in Dorinda’s Words

Recently, Dorinda qualified as a marriage celebrant. Her booking list is full of couplets who wish to get married to her new idol. Dorinda’s relationship with Australia and Aussies has been changing a lot. She says, “Just because I look African doesn’t mean that I’m not Australian and doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate any pay homage and respect to my fellow Italian Australians or my Greek Australians, or Hungarians! I love it, and it’s a positive, lovely, warm way of paying respect to my fellow multicultural Australians”.

So, Dorinda’s words have once again taught the world the roots of acceptance and reciprocal understanding.

“It’s not a crime to be different, but it’s a crime to think somebody else has no right to be who they are, that they have to be entirely like you. Our differences are to be celebrated”. No better words could resume this important ethics lesson.