Empowering Migrants Through Culinary Training: The ReStart Journey in Athens
Fourteen years ago, Abdul Karim Bangura left Sierra Leone and arrived in Athens with only a handful of Greek phrases and a strong desire to start over in the Mediterranean city.
As he slowly tried to master the language, it became clear that continuing the sales career he had begun back home would be nearly impossible. To survive, he accepted a series of low-wage jobs — first as a cleaner, then as a kitchen helper with no formal training.
Everything changed when he came across a Facebook post from Odyssea, a nonprofit offering free culinary and food industry training to people from disadvantaged backgrounds. In Greece, where roughly 40% of young people are unemployed, Odyssea focuses on helping those who struggle to access education and work opportunities, including people with disabilities, those experiencing homelessness, former drug users, and migrants like Bangura.
Seeing a chance to transform his situation, Bangura enrolled in ReStart by Mastercard, a program designed to give participants the qualifications they need to enter the food industry.
After completing courses in food safety, hygiene, and cooking, Bangura joined the 200 graduates of the ReStart initiative and secured a job at Kykloi by Priceless — Mastercard’s new restaurant located in Athens’ lively Kerameikos neighborhood.
He is now one of 12 ReStart alumni employed at the restaurant as kitchen assistants or waitstaff. Under the guidance of Michelin-starred chef Pavlos Kiriakis, the restaurant features a modern and sustainable approach to Mediterranean cuisine.
“Working with professional chefs makes me really happy,” Bangura says. “It’s been an amazing journey so far.”
Athens, known for its rich culinary legacy, proved to be the perfect setting for Mastercard’s first restaurant in Greece. Kykloi showcases fresh, locally sourced dishes such as red sea bream with potato confit and calamari paired with tarama, a cured fish roe. Like other Priceless restaurants around the world, it provides immersive dining experiences, from guest chef workshops to molecular mixology sessions — but Kykloi is the first to be built with a social mission at its core.
The restaurant’s name, “Kykloi,” meaning “circles” in Greek, is reflected in its clean, natural aesthetic — a calm contrast to a city known for everything from casual souvlaki spots to high-end culinary landmarks.
“For us, Kykloi represents the full circle of food,” explains Loukia Chorafa, Mastercard’s head of marketing and communications for Greece, Cyprus, and Malta. “From the earth to the plate, the tradition of sharing a meal, and the journey of ReStart graduates finding meaningful work — it’s a cycle of life.”
Chef Kiriakis and the Priceless team envisioned Kykloi as more than just a restaurant. They wanted it to demonstrate how the food industry can nurture inclusion and offer pathways for people to build sustainable careers. At the same time, training employees helps restaurants fill the persistent gap in skilled chefs, servers, and kitchen staff.
Since opening in July, Kykloi — whose design draws inspiration from the circular Mastercard logo — has quickly become a beloved spot for both locals and tourists who come to the city not only for its history but also for its vibrant food scene.
ReStart’s strong early results suggest that this model of social inclusion could be adopted by future Priceless restaurants worldwide, setting a new standard for the industry, Chorafa says.
Nearly all ReStart participants — including migrants representing 29 countries — have secured employment in Athens thanks to the program’s practical training, confidence-building, and networking opportunities. The next stage aims to involve young Greek citizens facing employment barriers due to disabilities or time spent in institutions.
For people like Bangura, who spent years striving for stability, ReStart and Kykloi have offered a genuine chance to build a better future in the country they now call home.
“This means a more secure and hopeful life in Athens for me and my family,” he says.
As he slowly tried to master the language, it became clear that continuing the sales career he had begun back home would be nearly impossible. To survive, he accepted a series of low-wage jobs — first as a cleaner, then as a kitchen helper with no formal training.
Everything changed when he came across a Facebook post from Odyssea, a nonprofit offering free culinary and food industry training to people from disadvantaged backgrounds. In Greece, where roughly 40% of young people are unemployed, Odyssea focuses on helping those who struggle to access education and work opportunities, including people with disabilities, those experiencing homelessness, former drug users, and migrants like Bangura.
Seeing a chance to transform his situation, Bangura enrolled in ReStart by Mastercard, a program designed to give participants the qualifications they need to enter the food industry.
After completing courses in food safety, hygiene, and cooking, Bangura joined the 200 graduates of the ReStart initiative and secured a job at Kykloi by Priceless — Mastercard’s new restaurant located in Athens’ lively Kerameikos neighborhood.
He is now one of 12 ReStart alumni employed at the restaurant as kitchen assistants or waitstaff. Under the guidance of Michelin-starred chef Pavlos Kiriakis, the restaurant features a modern and sustainable approach to Mediterranean cuisine.
“Working with professional chefs makes me really happy,” Bangura says. “It’s been an amazing journey so far.”
Athens, known for its rich culinary legacy, proved to be the perfect setting for Mastercard’s first restaurant in Greece. Kykloi showcases fresh, locally sourced dishes such as red sea bream with potato confit and calamari paired with tarama, a cured fish roe. Like other Priceless restaurants around the world, it provides immersive dining experiences, from guest chef workshops to molecular mixology sessions — but Kykloi is the first to be built with a social mission at its core.
The restaurant’s name, “Kykloi,” meaning “circles” in Greek, is reflected in its clean, natural aesthetic — a calm contrast to a city known for everything from casual souvlaki spots to high-end culinary landmarks.
“For us, Kykloi represents the full circle of food,” explains Loukia Chorafa, Mastercard’s head of marketing and communications for Greece, Cyprus, and Malta. “From the earth to the plate, the tradition of sharing a meal, and the journey of ReStart graduates finding meaningful work — it’s a cycle of life.”
Chef Kiriakis and the Priceless team envisioned Kykloi as more than just a restaurant. They wanted it to demonstrate how the food industry can nurture inclusion and offer pathways for people to build sustainable careers. At the same time, training employees helps restaurants fill the persistent gap in skilled chefs, servers, and kitchen staff.
Since opening in July, Kykloi — whose design draws inspiration from the circular Mastercard logo — has quickly become a beloved spot for both locals and tourists who come to the city not only for its history but also for its vibrant food scene.
ReStart’s strong early results suggest that this model of social inclusion could be adopted by future Priceless restaurants worldwide, setting a new standard for the industry, Chorafa says.
Nearly all ReStart participants — including migrants representing 29 countries — have secured employment in Athens thanks to the program’s practical training, confidence-building, and networking opportunities. The next stage aims to involve young Greek citizens facing employment barriers due to disabilities or time spent in institutions.
For people like Bangura, who spent years striving for stability, ReStart and Kykloi have offered a genuine chance to build a better future in the country they now call home.
“This means a more secure and hopeful life in Athens for me and my family,” he says.
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