TRACY BOWDEN, PRESENTER: Across different cultures, when personal tragedy strikes, the gift of food is an international sign of support and care.

One couple in Sydney have taken this to heart. They've created an industrial-sized kitchen built and run by volunteers, to not only feed those in need but also bring communities together over food.

Sarah Dingle reports.

DOVID SLAVIN, OUR BIG KITCHEN: Welcome to Our Big Kitchen. This is where it all happens.

SARAH DINGLE, REPORTER: Something's cooking in the heart of Sydney at the community kitchen of Rabbi Dovid Slavin.

DOVID SLAVIN: Oh you will notice this is the meat section because being a cultural and Halal kitchen with special sensitivity to people with vegetarian, so we keep separate areas.

Food allows us an ability to be able to support one another, to connect with one another and to empower one another where food is simply the vehicle.

LAYA SLAVIN, OUR BIG KITCHEN: And every day there's a new story that comes about and I always think if the kitchen was created for that one story then we've achieved what we've wanted to achieve.

SARAH DINGLE: The Slavins were used to cooking the odd meal for those in their community who were sick or alone.

But seven years ago they decided that could be replicated on an industrial scale and so Our Big Kitchen was born.

DOVID SLAVIN: Today we're going to the Ambulance Service just to show some recognition and support for the guys and girls who put themselves out for the community.

(Dovid Slavin arriving at the Ambulance Service)

DOVID SLAVIN: Hello guys.

STAFF MEMBER: Hello Rabbi.

DOVID SLAVIN: Hey, look what we've got.

STAFF MEMBER 2: Very nice, very nice.

DOVID SLAVIN: Bit of doughnuts.

STAFF MEMBER 2: Thank you.

DOVID SLAVIN: Enjoy guys.

SARAH DINGLE: The mission at Our Big Kitchen is to help whenever there's a need and to keep the production line on the go with volunteers of all ages.

And who are you making these for guys?

YOUNG VOLUNTEER: Umm a charity.

SARAH DINGLE: A charity? Do you know what kind of people are going to eat them?

YOUNG VOLUNTEER: Umm for these women what don't have, that are a bit poor.

SARAH DINGLE: But it's not just about giving. It's also about what takes place during the cooking process.

(Teacher greeting a class of school children in Arabic)

SARAH DINGLE: And these are some of the next kitchen team.

TEACHER: Who can give me an example of when we use fractions?

(Children raise their hands)

TEACHER: Tasameen (phonetic)?

TASAMEEN: When cooking. Like if you want to bake a cake and you need a quarter cup of water.

TEACHER: Shakeen (phonetic)?

SHAKIN: When you cook you can have a cake which you cut into different pieces. And a pizza.

SARAH DINGLE: These year six students from Sydney's Islamic Arkana College are getting a crash course into the mathematics of catering, both inside and outside the classroom.

And joining them is another group of year six students; from the Jewish, Mount Sinai College.

At this kitchen food is a bridge between faiths.

STUDENT: There you go.

STUDENT 2: Thanks.

SAM HALBOUNI, PRINCIPAL, ARKANA COLLEGE: A lot of the students from Islamic backgrounds may not get the opportunity to interact with kids from the Jewish faiths.

A lot of my students wanted to know being Islamic faith, can we eat kosher and obviously we can.

SARAH DINGLE: Today each school has to bring a recipe for the whole group to cook. Arkana College chose the main course.

ARKANA STUDENT 1: Well we have made a...

ARKANA STUDENT 2: A potato bake.

ARKANA COLLEGE 1: It's like a potato fried, kind of, the onions and that, so yeah.

SARAH DINGLE: And for dessert Mount Sinai College has decided on the traditional Jewish sweet, Hamantashen.

MOUNT SINAI STUDENT: And they are little cookies.

MOUNT SINAI STUDENT 2: This guy had like a hat, shape of triangle, so they're shaped as that.

PHIL ROBERTS, PRINCIPAL, MOUNT SINAI COLLEGE: I think many of them admit to having some, you know a little bit of fear, perhaps a little bit of prejudice prior to it but they've certainly been more, you know through this they've been more exposed and feel so much more comfortable about the children from Islamic faith and it's really worked well.

SAM HALBOUNI: I think just the fact that they get the opportunity to ask questions to one another has been a positive because the kids go home and generally express positive comments about each other and I think the program has a lot of merit in that respect.

MOUNT SINAI STUDENT: I wasn't sure what it was going to be like but then we met each other, we got to know each other and it was fine. It's just making new friends.

ARKANA COLLEGE STUDENT 1: We like being mixed and everything.

ARKANA COLLEGE STUDENT 2: It's fun. It's fun doing it with another school.

SARAH DINGLE: Not just amateur cooks but top professionals also volunteer at Our Big Kitchen.

Supervising the kitchen today is Boris Cuzon, executive chef from the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth hotel who drops by once a week.

BORIS CUZON, EXECUTIVE CHEF: We help the Rabbi in this community run the kitchen in a professional way because there are so many meals produced here so it's very important hygiene-wise, the range, procedures.

This is very important to give back to the community, to be involved with these kinds of events and help what's going on already.

DOVID SLAVIN: Almost everything that we do has in it the bringing of people together. And whether it's older or younger people, whether it's people from different cultural backgrounds, whether it's poor and rich, whether it's men and women, whether it's, ... so it's almost always going to be an aspect of bringing people together.

SARAH DINGLE: And even though they've dished up, the cooks are still learning.

MOUNT SINAI STUDENT (referring to the student's hijab): Do you have one to swim with?

ARKANA COLLEGE STUDENT: Yes. We've got a special one with a special costume.

MOUNT SINAI STUDENT 2: Is it because of (inaudible).

ARKANA COLLEGE STUDENT: No, it's like, it's for our religion. Like it's compulsory for us to wear it.

MOUNT SINAI STUDENT 3: Do you have to wear it everywhere you go?

ARKANA COLLEGE STUDENT: Yes. But at home you can take it off.

DOVID SLAVIN: We find people have divergent opinions come from different backgrounds but we all eat and we all need food and more importantly we all need to be able to give and to matter.

LAYA SLAVIN: And you see them interacting and schmoozing and talking. Normally on the street would they speak to each other? No. But around preparing a bowl of soup, preparing cakes, preparing biscuits, they're talking. They're interacting, learning from each other.

You know, one's having a giggle or ... it's just beautiful. It's just beautiful.

TRACY BOWDEN: Sarah Dingle with that report.