Born in 1983 in Damascus, Emad Shoshara is a Syrian chef whose culinary journey is deeply rooted in a strong passion for the art of cooking. In Syria, Emad shared his love of food with those close to him, cooking for family and friends. At the same time, he was running a logistics company in the tourism sector. The outbreak of the war in Syria turned his life upside down and forced him to leave his home country. His journey took him through Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Saudi Arabia, North Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, and Germany, before arriving in France in 2015. This life-changing experience strengthened his determination, and today he runs a successful catering business. His personal journey has made him especially attentive to social causes, in which he is deeply committed. He supports, for example, the organization Refugee Food, which aims to change perceptions of refugees through cuisine and to accelerate their social and professional integration. He also works with Linkee, an organization that distributes food to students while reducing food waste. In short, a chef who never forgets his own journey — nor those who need support.
Association
LINKEE
Linkee – Entraide Étudiante is the first food aid association dedicated to students in France. Founded in 2016 with the aim of simultaneously reducing food insecurity and waste, the association recovers unsold and surplus food from professionals to redistribute to precarious students and solidarity structures. Linkee distributions, deployed throughout the year in 8 major French university regions, enable several million meals to be distributed to students every year.
The association organizes the collection and redistribution of unsold food from shops, supermarkets, caterers, and restaurants. It relies on digital tools to coordinate donations, collections, and deliveries, ensuring a fast, transparent, and traceable solidarity chain. Linkee’s model is based on a network of volunteers known as “Linkeurs,” who manage the logistics of donations — from transport to delivery. Linkee has also developed a mobile application to organize volunteer missions and track the environmental and social impact of its operations.
The organization reports redistributing millions of meals each year and achieving a significant reduction in emissions linked to food waste. Its approach promotes a sustainable food aid model, centered on valuing local resources and fostering collective responsibility in the fight against waste.
Linkee works in partnership with public institutions, universities, and major agri-food companies. It is recognized as being of public interest and is supported by various local authorities for its actions in circular economy and urban solidarity.
