Like in many cultures cooking and food is an essential part of identity, and Canadian-Slovenians are no different. Slovenian cuisine is influenced by the diversity of Slovenia’s landscape, climate, history, and neighboring cultures. Still, here in Canada, it is additionally affected by ingredients and products that were available for immigrants. Slovenian mothers and grandmothers always spent a lot of time in the kitchen to prepare home-cooked meals. Recipes were handed down from generation to generation, and very little cookbooks were available.
One of Moya Financial’s core mandates is the belief that we need to be engaged in a larger purpose to serve our community. Everything we do connects back to our core values, and each project we carefully approach with the intention to embrace our values and heritage.
In 2016 we started with a member engagement campaign and created our first Moya Recipe Calendar for 2017. We recognize that every Slovenian household has at least one special Slovenian recipe in the family. We encouraged members to dig deep in the family’s recipe box and find their favorites and share the best ones with all members of Moya Financial. The calendar was an instant success and the 2021 calendar will already be the 5th edition. We plan to publish recipes from the past five years in a celebratory cookbook that will be available for purchase and Moya will match the amount and donate it back to the community.
Looking back on our roots and history, in 2019 we partnered with EMO, worldwide famous Slovenian manufacture of enameled cookware. This carefully picked product showed our commitment and connection to Slovenian culture and allowed us to offer unique donations for events and different online and offline member engagement campaigns.
Sticking to the theme of food and cooking, we helped put on two cooking classes. The response from members and the community was unbelievable. We had more than 40 participants altogether. Our cook, Ana Doma, did a fantastic job sharing tips and tricks on how to prepare some of the essential cooking recipes like strudel, barley soup with smoked meat, schnitzels, and more.
We are looking forward to financially supporting any new initiatives for cooking classes in the future.