Two Brussels-based charities, Doucheflux and Les Gastrosophes, organised a festive “street banquet” on Christmas Eve for the homeless people at Bethlehem Square in Saint-Gilles.
The meal included smoked trout canapes, gratinated onion soup for starters, traditional vol-au-vent for the main, and for dessert Yule logs courtesy of Nicolas Arnaud Patisserie. The meal was served with mulled wine and the menu crafted by Les Gastrosophes. The initiative saw people attend from midday, sheltered from the rain, enjoying the warmly musical atmosphere.
“This banquet is akin to families getting together on Christmas Eve. The idea is to offer our services to those who are forgotten, so they can enjoy a warm moment while savouring quality fare,” explained Pauline, a member of Gastrosophes. The non-profit organisation uses unsold food from wholesalers and organic greengrocers and offers catering services to businesses and individuals. The profits enable them to provide meals to disadvantaged audiences throughout the year while collaborating with charities such as Doucheflux.
For this third edition of the “street banquet”, running from midday to 16:00, the charities prepared about 120 meals. They offered gifts (clothing, biscuits, and chocolates) and orchestrated an afternoon brass band performance.
“We are looking to offer the best to those who have very little while fostering social connections. Around the table, there are service users, volunteers, and workers. It indeed becomes impossible to distinguish one from the other, and that is the beauty of it,” delightedly said Doucheflux’s director, Benjamin Brooke.
