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Pizza della Pace mobile cafés

‘Pace’ (pronounced Pa-chay’, Italian for peace) aka Pizza for Peace

Pizza della Pace was envisioned by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation and partners as part of our pilot Empowerment-Plus Centre. (See message from our patron, Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United.)

While the mobile cafés were only piloted in a stationary kitchen with Syrian refugees, we had hoped that future Empowerment+ Centres would use them to directly provide employment for refugees, immigrants and/or religious minorities who work in partnership with local people also needing employment and empowerment, thereby increasing interfaith action. It was (and is) a concept worth pursuing.

Customers will be attracted for three reasons: (a) they can directly support a social cause with each purchase, (b) the pizzas would be both traditional and unique, with authentic flavors from immigrant countries, and (c) they would be on a street nearby, something that is currently not a common street food. Pizza della Pace will empower people, putting them on the path to self-reliance by giving them valuable workplace and business experience while being the face of this exciting initiative that brings interfaith understanding and religious freedom to the streets.

Financing arrangements for Pizza della Pace mobile cafés were envisioned to be:

  • •     Start-up costs will be covered by local donors, philanthropists or businesses.
  • •     The Pizza della Pace mobile cafés will pay a living wage to the operators and provide income for the Empowerment-Plus Center.
  • •     RFBF will receive an ongoing modest licensing fees for use of the Pizza della Pace brand and resources.

See example of another Business for Peace initiative here:

Groups within the Middle East have different narratives about what has created culture and current events. Aziz Abu Sarah and Scott Cooper of MEJDI Tours, recognize that allowing multiple stories to be told is a first step in fostering peace and cultural understanding. Aziz and Cooper were recognized by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation at the 2016 Global Business & Interfaith Peace Awards.