Rebuild MySoul
Donation protected
Late 2016 I was diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). In that time, I left employment grossly unhappy, full of SSRI’s and a desire to pursue with gusto, my idea of a “healthy mind”. So, with the help of my wife and my 70-year-old father I built something. Something to bring my constant worry down, something to ground that worry, something to thrive on. Something to share.
I have always been passionate about food. Good comforting street food. The worry before I start cooking though, tends to defeat me. Still to this day I get mind sapping anxiety before I cook, especially at home. Strange that I like to cook but I worry myself ‘dry mouth’ style before I do it. I knew this feeling contributed to most of what appeared to be wrong with me as far back as the school playground, so whatever I was trying to metaphorically and physically build over these last 3 years had to include a strategy to beat this feeling!
Whilst dealing with her own stresses, my wife has tried cracking the whip but some days I have not been able to get out of bed and I do mean whole 24-hour days. We talk as often as we can and sometimes it is enough. A hard worker, she has taught me plenty of things, one of which is that you should not rely on other people for your happiness. I’ve always wanted to share my ideas with her, so with her help we loosely sculpted an idea:
To include street food
To somehow “beat the overthinking”
To hopefully bring happiness
After multiple internet searches we committed to buying a trailer. I sat it on our drive and began the process of making it legally compliant. And there it sat for a whole year amidst anxious episodes, unreliable specialist tradesmen (As everything mobile related is specialist, i.e. more expensive), desperate decision making and the inevitable relationship strain. But we got there.
Fast forward to 2019, we pitched up in Splott with our catering trailer. I began to build a rapport with my customers, and I believe this had a positive influence on my mental health. I also began to enjoy the customer service I gave, using my time serving to engage and earn trust with customers. I felt at times able to talk about my mental health experiences and how they affected me. Having this empathy meant a few customers were able to open-up to me (in confidence) about their own experiences. I have some counselling skills and it felt like I was “breaking the silence on mental health”, helping the cause in some microscopic way.
For me and my family, the food and conversation combination comes from way back. I appreciate that families enjoying good homemade food and great company around the kitchen table is not a new concept. I was privileged to be part of this cultural gathering in its original form, just a few times when I was a child, out there in the old country which is Abruzzo (East of Rome), Italy more specifically the province of Chieti. My Grandfather and father continued these traditions when they settled in Cardiff and with their respective UK families. This is where I developed a sense of family and how important meal times were. The influence and effect of these occasions was and is real.
We are born and bred Cardiff. Having this dual Welsh/Italian heritage our food is a mixture of both cultures. When we cook, we cook Cardiff comfort food by day and Italian street food by night. There is a lot to be said for comfort food which in my experiences with people and places often tends to get over looked for fine dining options etc. For us there is something very satisfying about fresh cheese oozing from a Calzone or that Mozzarella ‘pull’ when you grab a slice of your favourite pizza. Left over Risotto? Make some Arancini balls, pop the cork on a tasty Montepulciano and celebrate. The marriage of flavours that explode all over your taste buds from an authentic pasta dish, al dente to the bite with a rich, thick tomato sauce and that aroma ‘after thought’ of Basil freshly picked from your garden? Food that’s full of flavour and fills you up this is what it’s all about. This is what we want our people to try. Of course, we serve our Cardiff comfort food and the same applies to a tasty burger made with love or a breakfast roll on a mission to sate even the biggest of appetites, all designed to make your day a little easier. That is our bread and butter and our Italian food, from those beautiful mountain top villages of Abruzzo, may just help those chemical reactions in the brain smash your usual indifference into next week. Street food events are a stage to explore this “food therapy” idea and the Cardiff people are who we want to share it with, our people.
Amidst the joy of serving and cooking for my people along came May 12. Just 4 short months into it and the trailer was stolen! CCTV footage obtained from 2 different camera resources has identified that 3 cars were involved, 5 men and two highly visible number plates. The whole operation is on film. From removal of the wheel clamp to the clipping of the chains, to ultimately towing it off on the back of the transit van. Unbelievably, the police trail has gone cold and the moderate insurance settlement will not provide us with the opportunity to find a safer option.
I am teetering on that abyss. I have that feeling like I am about to fall right back into that space my mind had occupied 3 years ago. The devastation is real. The difference now is I want to try and get back up and consign this last month to history as it has proven very tough for me and my family.
This is why I come to you. I need a food truck. This time it is about security. A motion tracking alarm, a wheel clamp and a lock and chain are not enough down here in the east of Cardiff’s working-class territories. A truck would allow us to store it safely each night. We need to set up our business again from scratch. Everything was taken, pots, pans, the pizza oven, you name it.
Pledge for me, my wife, my poor old Dad (who should be ‘feet up’ enjoying his retirement) or for that one person I can save by talking them down off that metaphorical roof top edge on a cold, wet Tuesday in March. Pledge because you love good British and Italian street food. Pledge because being house bound with a mental disorder is life shortening. Pledge because you want to not because you have to. Get us to £10,000 and we can bring good food and great conversation to you whether at our pitch or at a street food event, whatever, wherever.
I have always been passionate about food. Good comforting street food. The worry before I start cooking though, tends to defeat me. Still to this day I get mind sapping anxiety before I cook, especially at home. Strange that I like to cook but I worry myself ‘dry mouth’ style before I do it. I knew this feeling contributed to most of what appeared to be wrong with me as far back as the school playground, so whatever I was trying to metaphorically and physically build over these last 3 years had to include a strategy to beat this feeling!
Whilst dealing with her own stresses, my wife has tried cracking the whip but some days I have not been able to get out of bed and I do mean whole 24-hour days. We talk as often as we can and sometimes it is enough. A hard worker, she has taught me plenty of things, one of which is that you should not rely on other people for your happiness. I’ve always wanted to share my ideas with her, so with her help we loosely sculpted an idea:
To include street food
To somehow “beat the overthinking”
To hopefully bring happiness
After multiple internet searches we committed to buying a trailer. I sat it on our drive and began the process of making it legally compliant. And there it sat for a whole year amidst anxious episodes, unreliable specialist tradesmen (As everything mobile related is specialist, i.e. more expensive), desperate decision making and the inevitable relationship strain. But we got there.
Fast forward to 2019, we pitched up in Splott with our catering trailer. I began to build a rapport with my customers, and I believe this had a positive influence on my mental health. I also began to enjoy the customer service I gave, using my time serving to engage and earn trust with customers. I felt at times able to talk about my mental health experiences and how they affected me. Having this empathy meant a few customers were able to open-up to me (in confidence) about their own experiences. I have some counselling skills and it felt like I was “breaking the silence on mental health”, helping the cause in some microscopic way.
For me and my family, the food and conversation combination comes from way back. I appreciate that families enjoying good homemade food and great company around the kitchen table is not a new concept. I was privileged to be part of this cultural gathering in its original form, just a few times when I was a child, out there in the old country which is Abruzzo (East of Rome), Italy more specifically the province of Chieti. My Grandfather and father continued these traditions when they settled in Cardiff and with their respective UK families. This is where I developed a sense of family and how important meal times were. The influence and effect of these occasions was and is real.
We are born and bred Cardiff. Having this dual Welsh/Italian heritage our food is a mixture of both cultures. When we cook, we cook Cardiff comfort food by day and Italian street food by night. There is a lot to be said for comfort food which in my experiences with people and places often tends to get over looked for fine dining options etc. For us there is something very satisfying about fresh cheese oozing from a Calzone or that Mozzarella ‘pull’ when you grab a slice of your favourite pizza. Left over Risotto? Make some Arancini balls, pop the cork on a tasty Montepulciano and celebrate. The marriage of flavours that explode all over your taste buds from an authentic pasta dish, al dente to the bite with a rich, thick tomato sauce and that aroma ‘after thought’ of Basil freshly picked from your garden? Food that’s full of flavour and fills you up this is what it’s all about. This is what we want our people to try. Of course, we serve our Cardiff comfort food and the same applies to a tasty burger made with love or a breakfast roll on a mission to sate even the biggest of appetites, all designed to make your day a little easier. That is our bread and butter and our Italian food, from those beautiful mountain top villages of Abruzzo, may just help those chemical reactions in the brain smash your usual indifference into next week. Street food events are a stage to explore this “food therapy” idea and the Cardiff people are who we want to share it with, our people.
Amidst the joy of serving and cooking for my people along came May 12. Just 4 short months into it and the trailer was stolen! CCTV footage obtained from 2 different camera resources has identified that 3 cars were involved, 5 men and two highly visible number plates. The whole operation is on film. From removal of the wheel clamp to the clipping of the chains, to ultimately towing it off on the back of the transit van. Unbelievably, the police trail has gone cold and the moderate insurance settlement will not provide us with the opportunity to find a safer option.
I am teetering on that abyss. I have that feeling like I am about to fall right back into that space my mind had occupied 3 years ago. The devastation is real. The difference now is I want to try and get back up and consign this last month to history as it has proven very tough for me and my family.
This is why I come to you. I need a food truck. This time it is about security. A motion tracking alarm, a wheel clamp and a lock and chain are not enough down here in the east of Cardiff’s working-class territories. A truck would allow us to store it safely each night. We need to set up our business again from scratch. Everything was taken, pots, pans, the pizza oven, you name it.
Pledge for me, my wife, my poor old Dad (who should be ‘feet up’ enjoying his retirement) or for that one person I can save by talking them down off that metaphorical roof top edge on a cold, wet Tuesday in March. Pledge because you love good British and Italian street food. Pledge because being house bound with a mental disorder is life shortening. Pledge because you want to not because you have to. Get us to £10,000 and we can bring good food and great conversation to you whether at our pitch or at a street food event, whatever, wherever.
Organizer
Michael Skazza
Organizer
