Let your tastebuds take you to the kitchen gardens of the West Bank and beyond at an intimate dinner for Refugee Week.

Every dish tells a story that is close to the heart of chef and small business owner Aheda Amro Numan.

As a small child growing up in the kitchen garden surrounding her house Palestine’s West Bank, Aheda would stay close to her mother, keen to learn the secrets of each dish.

The very first dish she ever cooked was a simple salad that she still serves today in her new home in Melbourne, using ingredients from her garden.

If we’re lucky, this salad may even be on the menu at Taste the Difference, an annual dinner held on Wednesday 28 June at Melbourne’s Multicultural Hub as part of Refugee Week.

Taste the Difference diners will sample dishes from around the world, prepared by chefs from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

It’s an opportunity for the community to share a meal with people who have come to Australia as refugees, and celebrate the rich contributions they make to local life.

At last year’s Taste the Difference, Aheda served babaganoush and hummus as an entree, then baklava and semolina cake for dessert, as well as a digestive sage tea. This year, Aheda is cooking the main course.

The evening is organised by AMES Australia and funded by City of Melbourne, with profits from ticket sales supporting vulnerable Melburnians through AMES’ People in Need fund.

Purchase your tickets here.