“When women come together with a collective intention, magic happens.” - Phylicia Rashad. 

This is so true for the Hey Lady! Community! One of the most beautiful things about this global, community of women is that the possibilities for connection are endless! If you can think it, you can do it! 

And that is exactly what Hey Lady! Members, Deb and Miryam, discovered when they created the Cookbook Project - a global cookbook combining traditional recipes from 20 different countries.

It’s a recipe book inspired by our community, and created by Hey Lady! Members. 

Keep reading to find out how the project came to fruition - you may even get a sneak peek into a few recipes! 

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Back to where it all began

Inside Hey Lady! our conversations and events are focused on different themes, changing every month. One of the six themes is Food and Traditions, where we discuss and share the different types of food, cultures and customs that are represented within our diverse community.

During one of these discussions, Deb, who is part of the Hey Lady! Community Team, had an idea: 

What if every member could share one recipe from their home town? What if we didn’t just talk about the different types of food around the world… What if we could actually taste them for ourselves?

Excited about her new idea, Deb contacted another member, Miryam from Italy, to see what she thought. Miryam couldn’t contain her excitement, and eagerly asked to be involved in making the dream a reality. (Miryam ended up designing the entire book, and without her, the cookbook would not look as beautiful - and professional - as it does!)

The two ladies posted a call-out to all members in the platform, inviting them to send in one traditional recipe from their country. It could be a recipe that had been passed down in their family, or simply a favourite recipe from their local cuisine.

They were inundated with support from ladies in the community! In addition to the many recipes members contributed, they also received messages from nutritionists, project managers and marketers who were keen to be involved in making the book come to life! And suddenly, it wasn’t just a small community project anymore!

Good food, for a good cause

As the recipes continued to flood in, the Cookbook team started to see the incredible potential this project could have. Not only could it connect women from different countries, cultures and generations; it could also help women in need! 

So, the women in our online community are coming together to help women in the global community. 

When it is officially released for sale, all proceeds received from the e-Book will be donated to Obs Pasta Kitchen - a charity in Capetown, South Africa that helps the homeless community through weekly meals and kind conversations.

“The whole idea and goal is to help and empower others, just as we have been empowered by this community,” Deb said. 

Next came the fun part! 

Once all the recipes had been collated, the Cookbook team asked our members to do some taste-tests!

Whether they had been a part of the project or not, members from all over the world started to cook and try the multicultural recipes at home, providing feedback to the team each time. 

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While we may not be able to (physically) eat meals together with the ladies inside our community, it is so special to know that we’ve been able to share these recipes from our home towns with ladies (and their families) all over the world!

Get a sneak peek!

Below is a sample recipe from the Cookbook - a recipe sent in by Henny, a Hey Lady! Member from Venezuela. As you can see, it’s much more than just a recipe!

On every page of the Cookbook, you ‘get a taste’ of a different country and culture! You get to meet the Hey Lady! Member who contributed the recipe, and find out why they love it so much. You even get to learn something about their family, country and way of life! 

“It’s not just a collection of recipes. There’s a story behind every recipe, behind every lady, and behind every country. It’s more than just cooking - it’s all about generating the sparks and breaking the barriers between different cultures. When you read a lady’s person story and cook their recipe - even if you try it and don’t like it - you’ve still learnt something new and have created a connection to that culture,” Deb said.

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While reflecting about the project, Deb said: “This whole process confirmed one thought for me - how powerful it is to be part of a community of women who share the same values as you! Without this community, I wouldn’t have met Miryam, or any of the other ladies who have made this possible. I wouldn’t have had the chance to help and empower others.”

What an amazing way of creating connections between people and cultures all over the world! 

We’re so proud and excited to see such an incredible project come out of our community! We can’t wait to share the details with you all when it is finally released to the public!

Please note: The cookbook mentioned in this blog post is not a Hey Lady! product. It is an e-Book inspired by our community, and produced by our members.