Food brings people together. That’s something the Fork in the Road Foundation understands. The nonprofit was founded with the mission of empowering refugee and immigrant women with opportunities to build community and forge a path to success. The organization hosts community suppers, cooking classes, catering events and culinary training to help women chefs turn their passion, culture and cuisine into purpose. T&S spoke with executive director Jessica Bueler to learn more about the Fork in the Road Foundation and its impact.

Where did the idea for the Fork in the Road Foundation come from?
It goes back 10 years ago. I met a refugee woman named Mawda Altayan. Every time I would go to her house, she would make incredible food. We had to communicate with Google translate, but we were able to bond over her cooking. I asked about doing an event where we sold the food. I posted it on Facebook, and about 12 or 14 people showed up. They loved the food, and I started getting questions about doing events at other people’s houses. From there, the idea exploded. It was a way to help immigrant women who didn’t have work experience but had the skills and passion for cooking.

Why the focus on food?
Food is such a great connector. It’s really amazing to see different people come together at our events. They may feel a little nervous or not know what to expect, but once they try the food, it may remind them of something. Suddenly, everyone is talking and connecting. Food is universal, and a great way to start conversation and learn from one another. For refugee women, cooking can be a way to break down barriers of social isolation or a tool to start over. Food is a beautiful way to bring together the community, find commonalities and build on them.

How have your programs expanded?
We just launched virtual cooking classes. Anybody can sign up online and jump on a Zoom call or watch a recording if they can’t make the live class. We also help immigrant women earn the ServSafe certification. It is a food and beverage safety training program administered by the National Restaurant Association. However, resources are available in limited languages. We translate important documents so they can fully understand the American standards. When women earn those certificates, it makes it easier for them to enter the job market. We don’t apply a cookie cutter approach. We try to help individuals meet their goals while working around individual challenges. For many of them, this will be the first job they’ve ever had. It really helps them to build independence and chart their own course moving forward.

What do you look forward to for the future?
Last year, we officially became the Fork in the Road Foundation. To date, we have hosted more than 400 events and raised more than $800,000. It’s exciting to see the success, and we’re looking forward to our program being replicated in other communities. No one has a patent on doing food, so we’re happy to share what works with others who are interested. Our goal is to help women find community and earn a meaningful income for their families.

How can people support the Fork in the Road Foundation?
People can go to our website to see all of our future events and cooking classes. If someone is hosting a birthday party, book club or any kind of event with food, we offer catering and provide free delivery. Our chefs also can stay and share their story and about the food. There is so much more we have in common than what divides us. No matter where we come from, we want the same things. The Fork in the Road Foundation was created to give people who have newly arrived in the community an opportunity to succeed and the chance to feel included.

For more information, visit forkintheroad.charity.

Photos courtesy of Fork in the Road Foundation