Project Feast

Project Feast was founded in 2013 with the premise that refugee and immigrant cooks have valuable experiences and knowledge to contribute to our communities.  Our mission is to cultivate a nurturing space for refugees and immigrants, while providing culinary training that equips them for careers or entrepreneurship in the food industry. We empower our students to share their diverse stories and cuisine, fostering intercultural exchange that enriches and unites our community.

Values

Community-Centric Approach – We are committed to providing equal access and opportunities for all individuals and prioritize compassion, curiosity, cooperation, flexibility, and equity in supporting our community members. We actively engage with and uplift the immigrant and refugee community we serve, forging partnerships with other Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and employer partners who share our commitment to creating nurturing and supportive environments for our graduates.

Integrity and Accountability – We take pride in our work and uphold a standard of integrity, ensuring that our actions align with our mission and values. We hold ourselves and our students accountable, fostering an environment of trust and responsibility. 

Empowerment and Confidence Building – We believe in the transformative power of food as a catalyst for empowerment, connecting our shared humanity.

Value and appreciation of Cultural Heritage – We believe that everyone has value, and immigrants and refugees bring valuable skills and knowledge to our community. We actively appreciate and celebrate cultural heritage as a fundamental part of our organizational identity.

Knowing that many immigrants and refugees arrive here with an abundance of culinary knowledge, this program builds on those skills and love for cooking. With our training, our participants move towards a stable future pursuing a livelihood in the food industry. Since our inception, we have graduated more than 200 students. In the past few years, we have also expanded our programming to include lessons on small business development, including financial literacy and business planning. We offer business incubation to alumni, allowing them to rent our kitchen at a low cost so that they can launch their own food business with minimal financial risk. Since 2020, we have also provided a food assistance program where we prepare culturally appropriate meals for food-insecure immigrant families and seniors. Through this program, our staff and students have prepared over 45,000 meals and continue to do so as part of our apprenticeship. 

In spring of 2022, in an effort to support newly arrived Afghan refugees, we launched a project focused on Afghan women.  Our goal was to train 15 women by the end of 2023. With the community we have built with newly arrived Afghan refugees, we continue to receive interest in our culinary training program and have now graduated over 20 Afghan women with another six currently attending our program. Visit our cafe in Kent (202 W Gowe St) and meet our students! We recently re-opened for lunch service on Thursdays and Fridays, 11:30 - 1:30 and continue to showcase the food of our apprentices. Thank you for your support and we hope to welcome you to our cafe soon!