Framingham Nonprofit Shares Afghan Culture, Food At Event Sunday

FRAMINGHAM, MA - A Framingham nonprofit is serving as a role model by preparing the ingredients for a deeper understanding of the Afghan culture through a virtual kitchen table discussion and cooking demonstration on Sunday evening.

"Sharing the Afghan Refugee Experience: Voices, Culture & Cuisine," organized by Hospitality Common Inc., a faith-based nonprofit , will take place on Sunday via Zoom from 5:30-7 p.m. It is designed as an opportunity to share meaningful, in-depth conversations with Afghan immigrants about their experiences and struggles while watching a cooking demonstration of an Afghani dish.

HCI serves immigrant communities in the Greater Boston and MetroWest areas by building bridges among people from different cultures to promote greater cultural understanding. It also provides the opportunity to learn English as a second language at the Greater Framingham Community Church. Classes include participants from Central America, Brazil, and Afghanistan. As parents learn English, their children are welcomed to an enrichment program which is moving towards STEM education.

Participants in Sunday's event will learn firsthand from Afghan immigrants about their experiences in the United States as more Afghani immigrants enter the country from their war-torn homeland.

HCI is partnering with Open Kitchens Project, a Somerville nonprofit that specializes in connecting people by flavoring conversations with demonstrations from area chefs who share their cultural cuisine. It supports food entrepreneurs of color as well as immigrants as they prepare their specialty dishes for a broader audience.

"There's an estimated 70,000 Afghan refugees evacuated from Afghanistan and now in the US through Operation Allies Welcome!," noted Paul Castiglione, the co-founder and head of community at the Open Kitchens Project on Tuesday. "They are settling in neighborhoods across the US including here in the Boston area. This event offers an introduction to - and celebration of - Afghan people, culture, and cuisine. This event offers a space for locals to better understand their new neighbors, including an Afghan food demonstration, and explore with intention how best to welcome them to their new country.

"While this event offers an educational update on resettlement efforts," he continued, "it's primarily an opportunity for interactive dialogue for everyone in the community to have a voice. People arriving from Afghanistan have experienced incredible trauma and a sense of dislocation. It's important to understand the challenges and come together to offer welcome."

Framingham District 2 City Councilor Cesar Stewart-Morales will welcome the audience, while Matt Crane, executive director at Hospitality Common, will introduce guests Gary Moorehead and Najeeb Rostami.

Moorehead is the founder of Kataluma, a faith-based fellowship that gives practical welcome to evacuees, refugees, and asylum seekers who come to the Greater Boston area, providing them with the safe housing, food, and friendship. He is been at the forefront of serving the Afghan refugee community and helping people achieve safe temporary housing and resoures. Moorehead is also a housing advocate at Greater Boston Refugee Ministries, and he was the former the executive director at Marigold Fund, located in Afghanistan, which is helping people rebuild their country while strengthening bonds with people in the West.

Afghan chef Najeeb Rostami, owner of Ariana Restaurant in Boston's Brighton neighborhood, will provide an interactive cooking demonstration for an Afghani appetizer while he shares his experiences as an Afghani immigrant.

Click here to register and receive the link for this event. Although the event is free, donations to HCI are welcome and can be made here. HCI will used the funds to provide educational services and refugee assistance to under-resourced communities.

"An important part of their mission is to build bridges of understanding, opportunity and hope in communities that surround our refugee and immigrant neighbors," said HCI board member Aileen Gardner.

"This is an event to bring together those who want to understand our neighbors and learn how to sensitively address their needs with compassion," she continued. "Gathering with others for food and conversation offers space to be heard and to hear other’s stories. The experience can enrich, even transform, our lives."

The event also will include chat rooms where participants can share their stories firsthand and build deeper connections with one another.