Looking Out for the Good: Rise culinary school helps refugee women start new life in Utah
Nov 1, 2024, 1:37 PM | Updated: Nov 2, 2024, 4:52 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — Graduating culinary school goes beyond just food for a group of refugee women – It’s about starting a new life.
Utah entrepreneur Lavanya Mahate understands how tough life can be in a new country. She’s giving back by offering newcomers a place to learn skills, gain confidence, and find their voice.
Building a new life in Utah was challenging.
“I came from Nepal in 2009,” Kamala Bhandari with the Rise Culinary Institute said. “When I come here, I don’t speak any English.”
Sheela Bakhshi came to Utah from Afghanistan in 2017 with her husband and two small children. They have grown their family to four children, and she said she’s never worked outside the home. Years later, these women are prepping for a purpose at Rise Culinary Institute.
“Rise is a culinary institute that provides free hands-on culinary training to refugee women and the immigrant women from low-income families,” Lavanya Mahate said.
This is her passion project. Since settling in Utah in 2001, she’s opened 10 Saffron Valley restaurants — and now, her first culinary school.
“It’s so fulfilling. It’s so heartwarming to see it come to fruition,” Mahate said.
Vanessa Trespalacious is from Colombia and loves to cook.
“I like seafood and my daughter, she really likes chicken. So, I feel like it’s just a huge variety … I pretty much like to cook everything,” Trespalacious said.
Fatima Rahman has worked at a cookie factory and a store deli. After training at Rise, she’s doing her own food catering.
“I love to share my traditional Afghan food,” Rahman said.
The goal is to secure an internship and land a job, but Mahate hopes these women see their full potential.
“I hope one day I have my own business, owner of my business,” Bakhsi said.
Mahate said each woman has gone through a transformation.
“It’s definitely boosted their self-confidence and their ability to go out and create a career for themselves,” Mahate said.
There’s a special fundraiser Friday to help support more women who want to sign up for the program.
For more info, visit Social Dinner 2024
