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(InvestigateTV) — A message inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty, welcoming “huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” serves as a guiding light for a unique restaurant in the nation’s capital. Emma’s Torch Cafe provides refugees with an opportunity to celebrate their heritage and cuisine by training for a career in the food industry. This isn’t just a kitchen in a D.C. cafe. It’s on-the-job training where students aren’t just learning prep, they’re learning possibilities. “At Emma’s Torch, you can find love, joy and hope,” said Nico, an Emma’s Torch trainee. Emma’s Torch is a cafe and culinary school in Washington D.C. Their goal is to empower refugees, asylees and survivors of human trafficking. Nico came to the U.S. to rebuild his life. “I left my country because I lose everything. Because I was I- AND my wife too. It’s very sad. And I’m here. I’m in the United States with my two children,” Nico said. He says Emma’s Torch welcomed him and gave him new purpose. “I learn new skills to know how to cook the best dishes in the world. And I feel that, I’m at the right place,” Nico said. A comprehensive program “Our program is about 11 weeks long and it’s 40 hours a week,” said Kerry Brodie, Emma’s Torch founder and executive director. Brodie founded the social justice non-profit eight years ago. “And that’s where our students are learning things like self-advocacy, English classes, resume prep, interview prep, all of those things that are outside the kitchen. And then we bring them inside the kitchen and they’re learning knife skills and they’re learning the fundamentals of learning culinary class,” Brodie said. Five hundred students have graduated. Ninety percent have jobs. Emma Lazarus wrote the words inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” “Emma Lazarus was one of those unsung heroes of Jewish history. She was reading the headlines in the newspaper saying, you know, ‘these people are going to change our country, these people are bringing whatever they’re bringing,’ and she said, no, that’s not what we’re about,” Brodie said. “And I mean, what a what a more powerful sentiment than that? That what is at our core is this idea of welcoming the stranger? The organization is supposed to be a testament to that,” Brodie said. Just like the dishes they make, the students contribute their own ingredients to society. Their culture, their art, their recipes. “Yes, yes, because exactly? When you are at Emma’s Torch, you have the second chance. Because you can begin a new life. You can believe in yourself,” Nico said. It’s that resolve that can be a recipe for success. Submit story tips to our Investigators Share errors or concerns with our Digital Editors Watch full episodes of InvestigateTV+ Subscribe to the InvestigateTV YouTube Channel
