courtesy Emma’s Torch
From a press release:
“Emma’s Torch, the nonprofit social enterprise that provides culinary training for refugees, asylees and survivors of human trafficking, empowering them to build culinary careers and achieve financial independence, will open its new 4,500-square-foot café and training center on June 12 in Silver Spring (1200 East-West Hwy.). The new café location – which will host a ribbon-cutting with officials and community members on June 11 at 10 am – allows Emma’s Torch to expand upon the training space and dining that drew fans to its Brookland location, which closed late last year to prepare for the move.
A new regional flagship,
the Emma’s Torch Silver Spring café and training center is more than four times the size of that former Brookland location, with seating for about 60, capacity to serve more than 185 students per year and additional space for private events and community events. The Montgomery County location also allows Emma’s Torch to reach its prospective students where they are; hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, the Congo and beyond arrive in the diverse community annually.
Emma’s Torch’s students come from more than 75 countries and receive culinary training to help them get a leg up in the career market and find the footing to support their families and make a home in the US. Its founder, Kerry Brodie, has been named a CNN Hero, and the cafe has been spotlighted in the New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Today Show, among many other top outlets.
The café, which will be open 8 am-4 pm Tuesday-Sunday in its initial weeks, will specialize in serving the daytime crowd, with well-made breakfast and lunchtime favorites such as the Egg & Cheese Biscuit, with flaky biscuits made in-house; Avocado Toast on ciabatta, topped with pickled chilies and radish; and Crispy Chicken Sandwich, with creamy shaved vegetable slaw, and harissa mayonnaise; as well as an array of well-made pastries, such as the Smoked Cheddar Broccoli Tart and Cinnamon Bun. Brunch at Emma’s Torch (named one of the best in Brooklyn by Eater) will be served Saturdays and Sundays in Silver Spring, and feature dishes such as the Brown Butter Pancake served with blueberry compote, and the vegan Shakshuka with Chickpeas, featuring crispy chickpeas and crispy rice in a rich tomato gravy with tahini, perfect for washing down with the café’s House-made Chai, Matcha Latte or coffees, such as a Cortado.
The new larger kitchen also allows Emma’s Torch to continue elevating its growing catering business, which can whip up everything from delicious mezze platters and wraps for corporate lunches to elegant, seasonal New American dishes such as Coffee-Rubbed Brisket and Herb-Roasted Chicken for formal events and weddings.
Emma’s Torch in Silver Spring – which joins three locations in New York – was designed by Saint Studio as a comfortable, elevated café with elements spotlighting the organization’s unique mission. Guests, for example, are able to peer into the classroom space to see what their patronage supports, while students can look out and observe their dishes being enjoyed. In the coming weeks, Emma’s Torch will add outdoor dining, as well as beer, wine, and cocktails to the menu.
Emma’s Torch is located at 1200 East-West Hwy. in downtown Silver Spring, blocks from the Red Line Silver Spring station and MARC station, as well as easily accessible from East-West Highway, Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road.
About Emma’s Torch: Emma’s Torch is a nonprofit social enterprise that trains refugees, asylees, and survivors of human trafficking in the New York and Washington DC areas in the culinary arts and empowers them to build meaningful careers in the culinary industry. Founded in 2016 and named Emma’s Torch has enrolled more than 700 students in its full-time, paid culinary training program, which includes experience at one of Emma’s Torch’s social ventures and placement assistance for graduates. To date, the program has generated more than $34 million in increased wages for students, creating pathways to financial independence and upward mobility blocked by barriers such as limited English proficiency, lack of support, and poverty. Emma’s Torch honors Emma Lazarus, a staunch advocate for refugee rights whose poem, “The New Colossus,” adorns the Statue of Liberty.”