Refugee chefs star in food festival
Five notable San Francisco restaurants are playing host to a series of vibrant pop-up dinners this week, featuring menus created by refugee chefs from Bhutan, Iraq, Myanmar, Senegal and Syria.
The collaborations are part of San Francisco’s inaugural Refugee Food Festival, which continues through Satuday, June 23. The event was founded by French citizens in 2016 and further developed by the French nonprofit group Food Sweet Food — an organization pushing to connect people through food — and the United Nations Refugee Agency.
The festival’s goal: Use food to cultivate conversations about issues facing refugees. Equally important, the festival has the capacity to boost a refugee chef ’s professional profile.
“This festival, it doesn’t end with the last day. Many of the chefs want to have permanent positions with restaurants,” said Sara Shah, a 23-year-old Bay Area resident who coordinated the festival’s San Francisco debut. “Most want to start their own catering companies or restaurants, so this is a perfect platform for them.”
The 2-year-old event coincides with World Refugee Day ( June 20) and spans 13 cities around the globe. In the U.S, San Francisco is joined by New York.
The festival is setting roots in a contentious U.S. political landscape regarding immigration. For context, the event’s first dinner Tuesday, June 19, took place just a day after President Trump said he didn’t want the country to turn into a “migrant camp.” His comments came at a meeting with the National Space Council and were in reference to the Department of Homeland Security’s policy of separating asylum-seeking families at the border. The children are being placed in detention facilities.
According to data compiled by the United Nations, 65.6 million people worldwide have been forced from their homes because of conflict and persecution. Nearly 23 million are refugees. Meanwhile, under the Trump administration, California, which was once a haven for refugees, has seen its immigration numbers dwindle.
The Refugee Food Festival, with its goal of integration and eventual employment for refugees, is reminiscent of the mission of Berkeley’s 1951 Coffee Co., which opened last year and trains and hires a staff of refugees, asylum seekers and special immigration visa holders.
“I just felt like San Francisco would be the perfect place for the festival,” said Shah. “Here, people want to connect with the humanness of the refugee experience.”
The remaining Refugee Food Festival lineup is as follows:
Wednesday, June 20: Iraqi Cuisine by Muna Anaee, Tawla (dinner); 206 Valencia St.
Thursday, June 21: Bhutanese Cuisine by Anu Mapchan, DOSA on Fillmore (dinner); 1700 Fillmore St.
Thursday (private event): Syrian Cuisine by Rawaa Kasedah, popup dinner hosted by WeWork (not open to the public)
Friday, June 22: Iraqi Cuisine by Muna Anaee, Son’s Addition (dinner); 2990 24th St.
Saturday, June 23: Senegalese Cuisine by Vito, Jardiniere (dinner); 300 Grove St.