Meet the Cook for Good team
Our team of staff and volunteers are a committed bunch, who share a love of food and a determination to use it to change lives for the better. We’re mainly based at the Pantry, so please pop in and say hello if you’re passing by.
Staff
Our small but mighty team work closely together to create a seamless programme of corporate and community events and services. We all have a background in social enterprise, and love a leftovers lunch.
Karen Mattison
Co-founder and CEO
Karen has a strong background in the third sector, having been Founder and CEO of two award-winning social enterprises, Timewise and Women Like Us, which opened up opportunities for all through part-time and flexible working. She leads on our overall strategy and development.
Contact Karen for enquiries about strategic initiatives and corporate partnerships
Robinne Collie
Co-founder and Events Director
Robinne spent more than 15 years running a cooking-focused team building and events business, and teaching kitchen skills to client groups of all shapes and sizes, before co-founding Cook for Good. She currently masterminds all our corporate and community events.
Contact Robinne to discuss in-kitchen and external cooking events
Emma Stewart
Development Director
Emma has a history of founding, developing and running social enterprises, experience which is fuelling her work with us. She is leading on the development of our organisation, including the fundraising for, and development of, our plans to expand our model.
Contact Emma to explore future strategic development opportunities
John Leach
Finance Lead
After more than 20 years in finance, John moved into the social sphere, with an emphasis on education, training and employment as funder, advisor and manager. More recently he has focussed on the climate transition sector. He supported the start-up of Cook for Good, and is now our board-level finance lead.
Raphi Simmons
Operations and Programmes Director
Raphi’s interest in food has played a major part in her career, including as Managing Director of Petrossian, a fine foods supplier. She develops and oversees all our community programmes at a strategic level, as well as making sure all parts of Cook for Good are running smoothly.
Contact Raphi for enquiries about existing and potential community programmes and ops queries
Cathy Halstead
Marketing Manager
Cathy is a copywriter and comms specialist with 20 years’ experience of finding the right words for companies across a wide range of sectors. She is the voice of our brand and leads on all our marketing and communications.
Contact Cathy for case studies, press enquiries and social impact reporting
Martha Ahmet
Community Manager
Martha spent 10 years as an Islington-based employability coach, providing information and guidance to help lone mothers back into work. She is the first point of call for community members, supporting them to access help from us and other organisations.
Contact Martha if you are looking to deliver or receive community support
Miriam Emanuel
Partnerships Manager
Miriam joins us from FareShare, where she was responsible for developing the sustainable long-term partnerships that made their work possible. She is working to build and deepen relationships with our key clients and partners, and explore new opportunities for collaboration.
Contact Miriam to discuss team building events and strategic partnerships
Simone Krieger
Resident Chef
Simone has spent the last 13 years running her own professional catering business, Krieger’s Kitchen. She now works full-time at Cook for Good, working closely with Robinne to design menus, organise ingredient procurement and deliver events.
Contact Simone to discuss working as one of our event chefs or becoming a food supplier
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Tom Kedge
Pantry Manager
Tom has worked for a number of years in the not-for-profit food sector, including leading kitchen sessions at Food Cycle. He works closely with our suppliers and volunteers to make sure our Pantyry is stocked and prepped, and provides a warm welcome for our many members.
Contact Tom regarding the supply and delivery of food and other items for the Pantry
Nancy Levy-Vegh
Sales and Events Coordinator
Nancy began her career in TV production but, having discovered a passion for social enterprise, she switched sectors to come and work with us. She manages sales and events bookings for our corporate events, making sure that every stage of the process is as seamless as possible.
Contact Nancy for team building event information, proposals and bookings
Zeina Nour
Programmes and Office Coordinator
Zeina was the very first member of our Pantry, and has seen it grow and develop in the years since, giving her a unique insight into its strengths and potential which she is bringing to this role. She coordinates all our community events, and helps keep our programmes running smoothly.
Contact Zeina to find out about community classes and events, and share feedback
Nicola Miller
Finance Administrator
Nicola has spent a number of years working in finance departments, with roles incorporating credit control, PO authorisation and payroll. She makes sure that all our invoices, and those of our suppliers, are processed and paid on time.
Contact Nicola for purchase order, invoice and billing enquiries
Sue Benson
Kitchen Technician
Sue has been with Cook for Good since the very beginning, initially supporting us with cleaning and kitchen porter roles. She is now in charge of making sure that our kitchen is spotless and ready to go, and that we maintain our 5-star food hygiene rating.
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Poornima Kirloskar-Saini
Social Impact Consultant
Poornima has worked in the social enterprise sphere since 2006, including at Cook for Good. She is measuring the impact our programmes have on the community we support, designing a framework and capturing metrics to ensure that we deliver against our social mission.
Caroline Lisberg
Events Marketing Consultant
Having worked in TV, Caroline moved into the social sector, organising events for a children’s charity. She is supporting the production of external Cook for Good events, including the promotion of Soup for Good.
Volunteers
Our hard-working volunteers are all residents of Priory Green and the local area, who want to gain some new skills and experience whilst giving back to their friends and neighbours.
They begin by following a six-month training programme, after which they can choose to stay on as volunteers, or look for opportunities for paid work, with us or elsewhere. Either way, we’ll support them as best we can.
Being a volunteer is a reason to get up in the morning and makes you feel like you have achieved something.
Volunteering for Cook for Good has pushed me to do more and boosted my confidence. I stay because I feel welcome, valued and it feels like home to me.
Chefs
We also have a network of chefs who come in to support and facilitate our events. As well as being brilliant cooks, they are lovely people, as comfortable teaching a class of teenagers to cook their first dish as they are guiding a group of corporate team builders to create a three-course meal for 100 community guests.
Join our team
Want to be part of the Cook for Good team? We’re entering an exciting new phase of our story, and we need some exceptional people to help bring our plans to life.
We’re not currently recruiting, but may be advertising further opportunities in the next few months.
Follow us on social media to stay in the loop, or email your CV to recruitment@cookforgood.uk
