Wanderlust with Mariam Koloyan feat. Mursal Saiq (12/07/2025)
Get your bibs out because today’s episode of Wanderlust on Soho Radio is a feast for your ears. We are so thrilled to be joined by chef, activist, and co-founder of the British Afghan smokehouse Cue Point Mursal Saiq in the studio!
When Mursal started out in the food industry in London, she was determined to create a fully inclusive environment where staff and customers from all dietary backgrounds could sit together. Aside from being featured on all major food magazines, Mursal has also gone on to consult at restaurants all over the world in increasing gender and ethnic diversity in the kitchen.
We talked about how her experience of growing up in Hackney as a refugee in the 90s set out for her to campaign for diversity in the food industry, how she had to fight to break stereotypes of ‘the Muslim woman’, the uniqueness of Afghan cuisine, and how we can make cultures unite just through sitting and eating some bomb ass bbq.
All our usual features were still in place – we talked about the Dog Days in Europe and the Nomadic Naadam festival in Mongolia; our Album Anniversaire is the debut album from the longest-running female vocal group in history; and our London Spotlight Artists of the month are both from South London! Enter the multi-genre multitalented Mysie, and the south-east London SIX piece Man/Woman/Chainsaw.
All my loving and thanks go to Mursal Saiq, producer superman Christian Veitch, Frankie Burrows and Cassie Beynon.
Tashakor for listening!
