Foodhini (specifically hired immigrant and refugee chefs): “heartbroken to say that our last day of meal service will be tomorrow, December 23rd.”

Thanks to Chelsey for passing on the sad news from Foodhini:

“There are so many heavy feelings and emotions as I write this letter to you. Since we started Foodhini six years ago, it has been an incredible journey. Our team has worked tirelessly from our first day of service in 2016, and all the way through the pandemic to today where the economic pressures have become too much for a small business like Foodhini to endure. I am heartbroken to say that our last day of meal service will be tomorrow, December 23rd.

I am extremely proud of my team members and what we have built over the last six years. When I first started Foodhini I had no idea what I was doing in the kitchen, but I enjoyed every single moment of it. This company was inspired by the story of my parents. As Hmong refugees from Laos, they came to this country with nothing, and worked so hard to ensure a better life for their children. Since day one, my family has been our biggest cheerleaders. Having the opportunity to build a business that honors my family and their story has meant the world to me. We set out to shine a light on the incredible immigrant and refugee community in the DMV area, showcasing their stories, cultures, and foods while providing living wages and benefits for our entire team. Over the years, we have featured many amazing chef team members, served various delectable meals from around the world, and helped our staff establish new, exciting lives in the community. From seeing our team members become first time home buyers, first time business owners, and first time car buyers, we helped support so many people in their growth journey. This is single handily what I am most proud of. My most memorable and rewarding moment was taking a trip to the car dealership to help one of our team members purchase their first car ever. The smile and excitement as they drove their new car home is something I will always remember.

We started with very little formal kitchen experience and have come to serving hundreds of people every week. Over the years, we have catered large weddings, events at the National Cathedral, and many more. Our delivery service has changed and expanded so much over the years and now we are serving more neighborhoods than I ever imagined. I am truly in awe of all the work and building our team has done and how much support we have received from our local community and organizations. 

There is so much more work to be done in supporting immigrant and refugee communities, but we will look to new ways to continue this work. Our kitchen will be closed for the time being as we plan to reassess and overhaul our business to better serve our community and also be better positioned to face the difficult and uncertain business environment ahead. The sadness of our kitchen closing will be met soon with a new opportunity for our work to continue and progress. We look forward to keeping you updated on our next steps.

I am forever grateful to our team members past and present, friends, family members, mentors, peers, and investors in helping and supporting us along this journey.

To close out this letter, I wanted to let every patron of Foodhini know that I have enjoyed every moment of serving you. You helped propel Foodhini to so many amazing moments and achievements. More importantly, you believed in us and shared our work with everyone around you. Your advocacy of Foodhini gave us the energy and motivation to keep going during our hardest moments. My heart pours out with gratitude and appreciation to each of you. Please feel free to reach out as we would love to connect and answer any questions or hear any thoughts you may have.

During these difficult times, we are sending positive and hopeful thoughts to you and to those who are going through a painful or challenging time. Let’s stick together, help each other, and look out for one another. All we have is each other, and that’s enough to make a difference.

As always, all things are possible together.”