The space on the ground floor of Pollux is still entirely empty in November, but Mounir Toub is already envisioning what the mensa will look like once it’s set up. “It’ll have an open kitchen, so visitors and cooks can see each other. This is where the counter will be where diners can get their meals. On the side by the window, I’d like to have one long, curved table in an S-shape where everyone can sit together and eat whatever is served that day.”

Gado-gado

According to Toub, a “chef through and through”, the food will be of the best price-to-quality ratio and will change daily. He shows an Excel spreadsheet listing fifty different dishes, including fish lasagna, chicken breast with brie, gado-gado and hotchpotch. “Vegetarian is not the standard, but I will often try to offer a vegetarian option.” In addition, Toub promises that the food will cost no more than 7.50 euros and a hearty 400-gram meal will be served.

The mensa will be called Happie040. Toub also intends to open a coffee bar in Terra which will be named Bakkie040 TU/e. The “TU/e” addition is necessary because Bakkie040 already exists and can be found in Strijp-S. “They already sell Soepie040 and Koekie040 there.” At Springplank, you can order meals through Shoppie040.

Homeless

People regularly recognize Toub from his time on TV, when he cooked for 24Kitchen. Nowadays, he devotes himself primarily to helping the homeless through Springplank040. “My team consists of fourteen (formerly) homeless people and I see it as a learning experience for them. They will be the cooks at Happie040, which hopefully will make them realize that they’re needed, that people are waiting for them. This will bring structure back to their lives.”

Toub, who also describes himself as a chef barista, head chef and ADHD-er, wants nothing more than to connect people. “Homeless with non-homeless, students with lecturers, Muslims with non-Muslims, refugees with non-refugees and at Happie040, students with Springplank in particular.”

The owner of Haven (Castor, Terra, and Pollux) is Woonbedrijf, a housing corporation. That means the government authorizes the organization to rent out social housing units. Vestide oversees the student housing provided by Woonbedrijf.

Woonbedrijf has a social responsibility and is not allowed to rent spaces to third parties who will profit from them. So this means no commercial catering.

However, Springplank does fit within the objective of the housing corporation. Springplank is a Brabant-based organization that helps homeless people find their place in society.

Sustainable

Toub is devoted to sustainability, and not just in terms of food. He never throws away food and plans to install a large freezer to store meals for when they are needed, think winter shelters for the homeless.
He also wants to procure furniture and equipment in a circular way. He is on the lookout for second-hand items, showroom models and other budget-friendly options. “It doesn’t make sense to me to have people cook with super-luxurious and expensive equipment when they don’t even have a kitchen of their own. And it’s not at all necessary to buy everything brand new.”

Toub hopes to open Bakkie040 TU/e as early as February. The Wonderbeans for coffee and Wonderleafs for tea will come from a fair-trade plantation. “This, too, is all about reintegrating the homeless,” says Toub. “The fact that the 735 residents of the Haven buildings will get to enjoy a nice cup of coffee made by a barista is just an added bonus.”