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CHOMP’s Dinner in the Park was a remarkable display of generosity and community. The culinary experience on August 18^th involved five local chefs serving small plates featuring ingredients from King County farms.

New Roots Coordinator, Tyler, is excited to see produce from Namaste Community Garden on the menu for the very first time. Thank you, Chef Vea from PCC Natural Markets!

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The ̽����ѡ in Seattle’s New Roots program was selected as the non-profit beneficiary of the event, which raised more than $5,000 to support refugee families. New Roots promotes food security, health and wellness, and economic empowerment through community agriculture and food access education. It was a natural fit for an event focused on food justice and supporting local growers.

In addition to raising awareness and critical resources for the program, organic produce grown by refugee gardeners was also a highlight of the night. Chef Lynne Vea of PCC Natural Markets visited the ̽����ѡ’s Namaste Community Garden and selected produce for use in two magnificent recipes: “One of the best ways to celebrate cultural diversity in our community is to buy ingredients from the very farmers growing the provisions on your plate.”  The dishes chosen by Chef Vea reflect the cultural backgrounds of the gardeners at Namaste: Burmese chilled ginger-lime shrimp salad with crispy garlic & coriander blossoms, and grilled baby summer squash with mustard seeds & marinated goat cheese Nepalese achar. Needless to say, everyone went back for seconds!

One of the beautiful dishes prepared by Chef Vea featuring produce from Namaste Community Garden.

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As the night settled in, Kamal Adhikari, ̽����ѡ’s Cultural Liaison and Interpreter for New Roots, told his harrowing journey of displacement and arrival to the U.S. A former refugee from Bhutan, Kamal touched the hearts of all who were present. He told stories of his family’s long history of sustenance farming in Southern Bhutan, and the country’s dark history of ethnic cleansing. When the Bhutanese Army took his father, Kamal was forced to flee with his mom and the older sisters. They stayed in refugee camps in Nepal for two decades, leaving friends, loved ones and more than 20 acres of fertile growing land behind. When they got news that they would be resettling in the U.S., it would take an additional three years before they would arrive in Washington State.

In 2011, with the help of the ̽����ѡ, Kamal and his family – including his proud father who sat in the front row during the speech – made Tukwila their new home. Kamal shares: “The ̽����ѡ’s New Roots program helped us get back into farming. It’s not the 20 acres we had in Bhutan, but we are once again growing the food we love. Beans, corn, squash, buckwheat, and our favorite, mustard greens! We are eating meals that we ate in our home country. This experience is a reminder of what once was. We are grateful for that.”

Thank you to everyone at CHOMP, King County Parks, Artist Home, and Chef Lynne Vea of PCC Natural Markets for spotlighting New Roots and for supporting refugee farmers and gardeners. If interested in learning more about New Roots and how you can help, email us at [email protected] or call 206-623-2105.