Andrew Clarke is a graduate of Fat Macy’s, a charity that helps people in temporary accommodation break the cycle through hospitality training and long-term support
“I’ve used my pain and turned it into passion,” Andrew Clarke said while proudly discussing his new job as a chef, “It’s brought me to another level instead of bringing me down.”
The 20-year-old Croydon resident is just one of many thriving graduates of Fat Macy’s, a charity that helps people in temporary accommodation ‘break the cycle’ through a hospitality programme. He trained under head chefs at the Shoreditch restaurant Sohaila, where staff taught everything from sauce-making to fish filleting.
Andrew won a place on the intensive course at just 17 when a case of mistaken identity changed the entire trajectory of his life. He was stabbed by an unknown knifeman on a day out with friends, causing him to still avoid certain areas of London years later.
A referral from his youth worker saw him step into a professional kitchen for the first time, a move that would unlock an enduring enthusiasm for food. Andrew told MyLondon: “The chefs here pushed me, made me resilient, built up my skills, and I grew from there.
“The life I have now is definitely something I’m grateful for – and the team. They treat me like family and are always checking up.”
Fat Macy’s operates Sohaila as a social enterprise, with profits from the Lebanese-inspired menu put towards providing both long-term physical and mental support. The charity also organises days out, covers transport costs, and supplies a £1,500 grant to move from ‘hostel to home’.
For Andrew, the opportunity has led him to a position he never thought he’d be in. “I’ve faced depression, PTSD, and anxiety through most of my teenage years,” he explained, “There were days when I was healing that I genuinely didn’t feel like coming in. But now? I’m probably the most confident I’ve ever been.
“I’m thankful for that because a lot of people in my situation could make bad decisions, but I’ve used it to elevate myself. I want to focus on something greater.”
The South Londoner is now working with Lexington Catering, one of several employer partners that provide jobs to graduates upon completion of the programme. He’ll be working in a restaurant with 16 other chefs, some of whom previously came up through Fat Macy’s. “It’s a full-circle moment,” he laughed.
Andrew has also started creating cooking content on TikTok and Instagram under ‘Chefigures‘, which he aims to grow in the coming months. He continues to receive help from charity staff, with a view to moving out and becoming even more independent.
“I want to use my story to make people realise there are so many things you can do in your life,” he added, “At the end of the day, no matter how much support you get, you’re the person that’s going to make you wake up every day and live a normal life.”
One in 47 Londoners is experiencing homelessness at any given time, with the vast majority in some form of temporary accommodation. Often, people become trapped between a ‘rock and a hard place’, making it impossible to move elsewhere, according to Fat Macy’s.
Ryan McKiernan, the charity’s managing director, said: “People will be receiving benefits or social welfare, and as they start to work, the benefits start to be tapered off. That tapering doesn’t match up with their earnings rising fast enough, so they end up in this trap where they’re actually disincentivised from working. But of course, if they’re not working, then they can’t afford to move out of that temporary accommodation, so they remain stuck in that system.”
He wants people in the capital to realise just how close they are to being in the same position. The 32-year-old has worked with countless trainees and graduates who had homes but lost everything after an unexpected medical episode or job termination. “Suddenly you find yourself on that precipice, and it’s very easy to be pushed over the ledge,” he added.
This was the case for Mimi Zouzoua, 28, who found herself living in a shared house in Edmonton after losing her job while caring for her sick daughter. Despite having previously worked as a chef at a French restaurant, she decided to push herself and retrain.
She said: “I was really down; I didn’t work for a year and I was ill, then I was having issues with housing. It was a difficult moment. When you live with people you don’t know, it’s not very nice. I kept all of my problems to myself.”
“When I came to Fat Macy’s, I wanted to try something new. I’m normally a quiet person but being here has made me more confident in myself. I know I have somewhere I can talk about my future.”
Mimi went down the customer service pathway, where she answered phones, talked to diners, and learned how to make coffees. This helped her improve her English and ultimately score a job with Pret.
“They send me to any shop that needs cover for that day – and I’m really enjoying it,” she said, “It’s great to know that every morning I wake up and have something to do. I also like bringing customers a bit of happiness.”
She is receiving ongoing support from Fat Macy’s but hopes to open her own chain of French-African restaurants in future, adding, “I’d love to be able to say ‘Welcome to Mimi’s’.
Fat Macy’s opened another round of referrals just days before Andy Burnham vowed to end rough sleeping across the UK in his first speech as Prime Minister. While a ‘positive signal’ from the new administration, charity boss Ryan worries about people falling through the cracks once off the streets.
He said: “The proof is in the pudding, and I’d remind the government that rough sleeping is only one small piece of the total homelessness pie. We need to go much further, and that comes back to the availability of affordable homes.
“Ultimately, people who move away from rough sleeping end up in temporary accommodation. So in some ways it’s shifting the crux of the issue slightly further downstream and closer to the solution, but let’s not take our foot off the gas.
“Those individuals will need support to move into employment, to move into the private rented sector or social housing, and also, crucially, with their well-being. Here at Fat Macy’s, we often see that that is the real core of someone’s journey and unless you address that, none of the other pieces of the puzzle fall into place.”
You can find Sohaila at 232 Shoreditch High St, E1 6PJ. For more information on Fat Macy’s, click here.
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