Chefs Marco Canora and Michel Nischan savor refugee cultures at New Roots garden

Burmese refugee Ah Lun, 30, greeted chefs Michel Nischan and Marco Canora and took them on a tour of the gardens to meet other refugee farmers and see their produce. 

 

Nischan, a sustainable food pioneer who heads the nonprofit organization Wholesome Wave, and Canora, well-known for his restaurants Hearth and Terroir in New York's East Village, were clearly impressed by the bounty the refugees had cultivated on the two-acre urban oasis.

 

Posting a photo of his visit on Twitter from his phone, Nischan tweeted, “Refugee farmers express their delicious cultures through great food.”

 

IRC gardens like this one, tucked under the Cross-Bronx Expressway, are helping refugees put down “new roots” by growing and selling nutritious fruits and vegetables. The New Roots program also helps refugees stay connected to the agricultural traditions they’ve brought from their own countries.

 

After the tour, Ah Lun invited the chefs to help him prepare tom yum, a hot and sour Thai soup that he came to love while working as a cook in Malaysia. They took turns stirring the ingredients — including garden-grown chilis, tomatoes and scallions — into a rich chicken broth studded with mushrooms.

 

Ah Lun shared some of his tips for making traditional tom yum, explaining that the secret to drawing out the peppery flavor of the chilis, and not just their heat, is to crush them before slicing them.  Sous chef for the day Marco Canora added the authentic finishing touches to the soup: a dash of Thai fish sauce, a squeeze of fresh lime, and a sprinkling of cilantro.

 

“That’s perfect. I love it – spicy!” exclaimed the other honorary sous chef, Michel Nischan, after tasting a spoonful from the bubbling pot.  Turning to Ah Lun, he asked, “How do you say ‘delicious’ in Burmese?”

 

 

 Volunteering with the IRC  l  The IRC in New York