Cuisine that nurtures both the body and the soul is making its way to Maryland. Emma’s Torch, a nonprofit organization committed to serving its neighbors as both a restaurant and a resource for refugees, asylees, and survivors of trafficking, is opening a new location in Silver Spring later this year, reports Bethesda Today.
The concept’s new 1200 East West Highway storefront will serve as both a traditional eatery open to the public and as a culinary training center for Emma’s Torch students. To better understand what, precisely, that means, one must first dive into the Emma’s Torch mission statement. The company’s Director of Marketing & Communications, Joseph Lee, was kind enough to provide What Now DC with a succinct and thoughtful description of the service Emma’s Torch provides: “ Emma’s Torch is a nonprofit social enterprise, offering an 11-week program that includes both culinary training, which includes significant hands-on experience preparing orders in our cafés, and employability, equity, and empowerment training, which helps our students develop career planning and English language skills to find long-term professional success.”
The 4,500 square foot storefront will be able to serve over 60 guests and will “feature a New American menu similar to our prior location in D.C. and our two current cafés in New York.”…