She started Emma’s Torch, a network of restaurants and pop-up locations in New York and soon to be in Washington, DC, to provide culinary training to refugees to help them build new lives in their adopted communities. Because?
As the daughter of South African Jewish immigrants and the great-granddaughter of Lithuanian Holocaust survivors, we have seen the worst of humanity and what can happen when people turn a blind eye to refugees. I have always felt that we have a great privilege and responsibility to make the world a better place.
Why did your activism revolve around the restaurant industry?
I saw food as a powerful vehicle to provide on-the-job training in a real-world setting that generates income to offset the program. And since the restaurant industry accounts for approximately 8 to 10 percent of all jobs in New York City, we view training in this field as a gateway to long-term employment opportunities in our owned restaurants. industry partners, all of whom are eager to invest in our students.
How does your program work?
Each full-time staff member at Emma’s Torch teaches our students vital culinary skills while ensuring the quality and consistency of our menu items, which we describe as “familiar dishes with a global twist.” Students are with us for 440 hours (11 weeks) and receive full-time salaries. Upon graduation, they have the opportunity to create a dish for their celebration, some of which end up on our menu. Teaching students about different ingredients and kitchen equipment also helps them learn English, a result that is delicious and achieves our most important goals.
How many refugees have gone through your program?
To date, we have worked with 305 refugees from 42 different countries, including Ukraine, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Myanmar, Ghana and Haiti, creating around $7 million in salary increases (measured by how much more they earn after graduating than before). . We look for students who want to enter the workforce, who have clear goals and work authorization, and although not all graduate, we have had many success stories. Among them: a Syrian student who graduated in 2018 and recently fulfilled his dream of opening his own restaurant; We brought our entire current class to visit and celebrate. Our students reflect the current microcosm of world events; For example, we have recently seen an influx of refugees from Afghanistan and Venezuela following the humanitarian and economic assistance made available to Venezuelan refugees in the United States this year.
