xcover story8D ■ SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012 THE TENNESSEAN

hen Gity Esfahani, a formermember in the Iranian airforce, arrived at the kitchenof legendary chef PhilaHach, she had written thewords “apron” and “strain-er” on her hand like a to-do

list. She wanted to remember the English words asshe cooked with Hach, the 86-year-old local legendwho hosted the first televised cooking show in theSouth and authored 14 cookbooks.

But in less than an hour, the words had worn offand the women with wildly different culinarypasts, who had known each other only a few weeks,were cooking together as if they’d done it foryears. The aroma of chopped dill filled the tinykitchen as chicken and rice simmered on the stoveand Esfahani whirled together fragrant saffronwith sugar in a coffee grinder.

“You’re kidding?” said Hach, scribbling notes ofher own. “Now this is interesting.”

Esfahani is one of three refugees who has beencooking in Hach’s kitchen each Sunday in hopes ofdeveloping a food-related business plan such as acatering company, food truck or cooking school.They were joined by Siham Abdulazeez of Iraq andNajat Al Zahawi of Kurdistan, all of whom wereconnected with Hach by the Nashville Interna-tional Center for Empowerment.

“Women are women,” Hach said. “I don’t carewhere they’re from.”

Indeed, cooking and sharing food can bringtogether groups from varied pasts. It creates andstrengthens a sense of community. And whetherlearning to cook for the first time or sharing skillslearned over a lifetime, the act of preparing andserving food can bring empowerment to those indifficult situations such as these refugees lookingto find work.

Several local organizations have been tappinginto food as empowerment by offering culinarytraining for the homeless, food service skills towomen recovering from addiction, and cookingclasses for teenagers who grew up in food desertswithout a clue on how to prepare fresh vegetablessuch as yellow squash.

“We’re empowering them to do for themselves,”Hach said. “People must not lose themselves.You’re using the inner strength that we each haveto excel.”

Though Hach’s cooking style is rooted in Amer-ican Southern cuisine, she couldn’t be more suitedfor the task of helping women from other coun-tries. She learned to cook from chefs in kitchens allover the world during her years as a flight atten-dant. And in 1976, she cooked for the entire dele-gation of the United Nations and later turned theexperience into a cookbook with recipes from am-bassadors.

At one point she gathered the women around herand read from the book:

“Let it be declared, announced, and hereby cele-brated … that everyone needs everyone else forfreedom, life, love, and happiness.”

‘Learning how to fish’At Lambscroft, an organization providing servicesfor the homeless, founder Brett Swayn, a formerlyhomeless man who worked his way up from prepcook to sous chef at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, isteaching homeless men culinary skills for jobs attheir soon-to-open restaurant, The Cookery.

“The biggest thing we’ve found about healing iscommunity,” he said, noting that homelessness isn’tjust about economics.

Swayn says he hopes the skills the homelesslearn at the restaurant will set them on a path tojobs elsewhere in the community — but also totrusting themselves with a renewed sense of identi-ty and then to trusting others.

He says that eating with someone else offers atransference of trust.

“You have conversation when your guard’sdown,” he said. “Food is important because youaren’t thinking about your walls as much.”

Similarly, Thistle Farms, the group that helpssurvivors of trafficking, prostitution and addiction,plans to open the Thistle Stop Cafe in January.Though the women will be working with local ven-dors rather than making the food themselves, foun-der the Rev. Becca Stevens said she hopes it will bea gathering place and environment for teaching thewomen about serving and running a cafe. It alsowill provide the women job skills for employmentelsewhere.

“A lot of people know how to fish but don’t havea pole or access to the lake,” she said.

Local organizations build community and empowerrefugees, youths and others by teaching how to cook

Jennifer JustusThe Tennessean

CONTACTContact JenniferJustus at 615-259-8072 or jjustus@tennessean.com.

ONLINETo see more photosand a video of BrettSwayn showing howcooking empowersthe homeless, visitTennessean.com/Portfolio.

The healingpower of food

JUPITERIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES

w

“

“

I see this newlife, new facesand newreligions.A new world.I’m so happy.”NAJAT AL ZAHAWI

We’reempoweringthem to do forthemselves.People mustnot losethemselves.You’re usingthe innerstrength thatwe each haveto excel.”PHILA HACHChef

Chef Phila Hach,left, works in the

kitchen with SihamAbdulazeez and

two otherimmigrants on a

food-relatedbusiness plan to

help refugees findwork. JOHN PARTIPILO /

THE TENNESSEAN

Chef Tony Galzin shows participantsof the Summer Service Camp at theHands On Nashville Urban Farmhow to make a healthy salad.SUBMITTED

Youths take a break at Hands onNashville’s urban farm. SUBMITTED

» FOOD, 9D

cover storyTHE TENNESSEAN SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012 ■ 9Dx

“We’re all learning how to fish atthis lake together, and together we’rehealthier and stronger and can all getstronger.”

At the Hands on Nashville urbanfarm, a 5-acre plot of land recoveredfrom Metro after the Nashville flood,chefs have been offering cookingclasses to teenagers who have grownup in food deserts.

Having access to food is one thing,but knowing what to do with it is justas important. Furthermore, seeing itgrow makes eating it more enticing.

On a recent weekday, a group fromthe Martha O’Bryan Center harvestedvegetables that chef Kristin Beringsonfrom Holland House would transforminto a salsa.

“You roll into Wal-Mart and you buysome salsa, and you see the difference.Even the best brand you buy doesn’ttaste as good as what you make,” saidT.J. Samuels, 18, who attended Glen-cliff High School and will soon attendMTSU.

As Beringson chopped, the studentswere wowed by her speed and skill.She spoke with them them about roast-ing the corn or grilling the squash andother ways to prepare it.

But on that day, in the summer heat,the salsa would include just the rawvegetables, allowing the group to tastethem in a more natural state. Then,following her demonstration, theybroke into small groups to practicemaking the dish on their own.

The language of foodIn Hach’s kitchen, the Iranian mealhad come together without a hitcheven with the language barrier.

“The first time she said saffron, Ithought she said ‘Zac Efron,’ ” saidAbby Hannifan, who brought the wom-an to Hach’s from the refugee center.“I was so confused.”

But as the women gathered aroundthe table, they held hands and Hachsuggested they take turns offering upa prayer to “whoever your God maybe.” One by one, the women spoke invarious languages. Then as the mealcame to a close, Najat Al Zahawi, whotold of losing her husband 10 yearsago, also spoke of finding hope.

“I see this new life, new faces andnew religions. A new world,” she said.“I’m so happy.”

Food» CONTINUED FROM 8D

Get involvedThe following organizations have beenhelping Nashvillians find empower-ment through food in various ways:

» FEAST TOGETHER2106 Eastland Ave.Nashville, TN 37206615-852-6199www.feasttogether.orgThis organization focuses on empower-ing people from low-income back-grounds through nutrition and culinaryeducation that goes to where they areand provides classes that give criticalskills and the food to practice skills athome. The group plans to conductclasses with refugee children this fall.They are seeking partners as well asspace for a collaborative kitchen.

» THE COOKERY /LAMBSCROFT1827 12th Ave S., Suite ANashville, TN 37203info@LambsCroft.comwww.epiclifecreative.net/LambscroftThis faith-based organization for thehomeless and the poor plans to openThe Cookery restaurant staffed byhomeless men and women within thenext few months. The group is avail-able now to cater events.

» SECOND RISE KITCHEN711 S. Seventh St.Nashville, TN 37206615-254-1791www.secondrisekitchen.orgThis social enterprise of the MarthaO’Bryan Center, a Christian-basedgroup to empower those in poverty,provides culinary training to unem-ployed and underemployed adults in a16-week professional education pro-gram. The program aims to createsolutions to the problems of poverty,hunger and unemployment and pre-pare those enrolled for success in thekitchen and in life.

» NASHVILLE FOOD PROJECT3605 Hillsboro PikeNashville, TN 37215615-460-0172www.thenashvillefoodproject.orgThe organization that grows food,prepares it and delivers hot meals toNashville’s working poor and homelesshopes to provide a cooking educationprogram in the coming months.

» NASHVILLE INTERNA-TIONAL CENTER FOREMPOWERMENT3221 Nolensville Pike, #103Nashville, TN 37211615-315-9681www.empowernashville.orgThis organization has been ex-perimenting with a food-relatedenterprise. A few women in-volved have been meeting reg-ularly to hold cultural exchanges,like the one mentioned in thestory with chef Phila Hach. Ifyou’re interested in hosting orattending one of these culturalexchanges, contact Abby Hanni-fan at abby.hannifan@gmail.com.

» HANDS ON NASHVILLEURBAN FARM37 Peabody St., Suite 206Nashville, TN 37210www.hon.org/urban_agricultureThis farm is a working and teach-ing hub for volunteers. Organ-izers this year held an UrbanFarm Summer Youth ServiceCamp, a free five-week camp foryouth living in neighborhoodsthat have limited access to freshproduce. The curriculum focuseson gardening, the food systemand healthy eating throughcooking education. To volun-teer, call Josh Corlew at 615-298-1108, ext. 417.

» THISTLE STOP CAFE /THISTLE FARMS5122 Charlotte PikeNashville, TN 37209615-298-1140www.thistlefarms.org/index.php/site/Thistle_Stop_CafeThe cafe will give survi-vors of trafficking,prostitution and addic-tion a chance to learnjob skills by workingat the cafe that willserve coffee, tea,sandwiches, wrapsand baked goodsthat are made local-ly, healthy and fair-trade. The cafe plansto open in January.

We’re alllearninghow tofish atthis laketogether,andtogetherwe’rehealthierandstrongerand canall getstronger.”REV. BECCA STEVENSFounder of Thistle Farms

“

Youths turn compost at the Hands on Nashville urban farm. SUBMITTED

Phila Hachputs an apronaround NajatAl Zahawi.The 85-year-old Hachcooked in herkitchen withimmigrantsfrom Iran andIraq. JOHNPARTIPILO / THETENNESSEAN

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