Zulu Alpha Kilo and Whirlpool Canada Explore Cultural Cuisine in Heartwarming Film

In its latest campaign, Whirlpool Canada has collaborated with the Al-Salihi family to shine a light on ways school lunches can introduce children to new foods from different cultures. Whirlpool Canada worked with Zulu Alpha Kilo on the campaign and its content studio zulubot on production with documentary director Katie Dellamaggiore, Cossette for its media buys and Hill+Knowlton Strategies for the public relations support for this programme.

Immigrating to Canada in 2014 when she was six years old, Sama Al-Salihi initially found lunchtime daunting. While she preferred eating traditional foods from her Mother’s native home Syria, she also noticed how different it looked from her classmates’ meals. 

Whirlpool Canada followed Sama as she shared her favourite Syrian foods like Uzee, Fatayer, and Grape Leaves with her classmates for the first time. To show their appreciation, the kids worked with Toronto based illustrator/cartoonist Wes Tyrell to create a custom one-of-a-kind lunchbox featuring Sama as a superhero.

Sama’s story speaks to findings from a recent Whirlpool Canada survey. The results found that 70 per cent of Canadians agree giving children an opportunity to try dishes from different cultures is a good way to encourage mutual understanding and respect.

“At Whirlpool, we believe it’s the little things that make the world of difference,” said Michelle Domet of Whirlpool Canada. “School lunches are something we do day-in and day-out and Sama’s experience shows how it’s not just nutrients and fuel for the day that lunch provides, but emotional comfort as well. It’s amazing to see how open children can be and how food can bring people together."

Whirlpool has also partnered with food and lifestyle expert Emma Waverman, who met with the Al-Salihi family to learn about their lunchtime traditions. Having recently helped a Syrian family settle into Canada, Emma feels the kitchen is the heart of building new relationships while maintaining long-standing traditions.