Ramadan, the ninth month on the Islamic calendar, is a time dedicated to prayer, fasting and spiritual reflection. This month of fasting, prayer and community gathering lasts from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next. As a commemoration of Muhammad’s first revelation, Ramadan is observed by Muslims all around the world, including chefs participating in Spice Kitchen Incubator who came together to prepare a Ramadan Feast Box, sharing traditional celebration foods with the community.   

Each month, Spice Kitchen Incubator, a program of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City, works with participating chefs to release a new Community Food Box offering to the community, featuring a meal focused on that month’s theme. This month, to celebrate faith and food, chefs from Halab’s Jasmine Kitchen, Ashikat Kitchen, Kafe Mamai, and Namash Swahili Cuisine came together to share some of their favorite Ramadan foods with the community. Inspired by their faith and traditional cuisine, this box became a robust reflection of the importance of this month.    

Although preparing food during a season of fasting may seem counter-intuitive, Chef Abudu of Kafe Mamai explains, “Spiritually, religious or not, [one of] the many benefits of fasting is that you are giving up things that you actually have...Being hungry, the active physical feeling of being hungry, is a reminder to think of other people—whether it’s Ramadan or not—who are actually hungry. It’s about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes who doesn’t have an option [to eat].”    

Chef Abudu cuts meat in his kitchen, looking down at the cuttingboard.
During Ramadan, Chef Abudu prepares food and brings it to the mosque for the breaking of the fast several times a week.
Photo: Courtesy of Abudu

As part of this season, Abudu prepares food to feed 100 people at the breaking of the fast a few times a week and drops the meals off at the mosque. “As Ramadan approaches, [all the groups] observing Ramadan are like little food banks,” Abudu says. For the Community Food Box, Abudu prepared a robust chicken curry served over basmati rice. 

Ibrahim, who is the chef at Halab’s Jasmine Kitchen, enjoys the evening during Ramadan. This is a time of breaking fast with the evening meal, Iftar, and a time of nighttime prayer known as Tarawih. To recognize this part of the day, Ibrahim shared his favorite food in the boxes, quatayif, which are fried, creme-filled pastries. This is one of the “Ramadan dishes that everybody craves,” Ibrahim says. For him, this time is about unity and family. “We always eat as a family at a certain time,” he explains.    

A portrait of Saadiyah, who looks at the camera in front of a bold red background
For Saadiyah, Ramadan is a time for praying and reading the Qur'an.
Photo: Billy Yang

“There’s a lot of food exchanged between neighbors and family,” Saadiyah from Ashikat Kitchen says about this time of unity. “Each day of Ramadan, we eat at someone else’s house. Hosting rotates.” After a day of fasting, they are careful not to upset their stomachs. They break the fast with light courses, usually yogurt mixed with lemon juice and three dates. After an hour, they eat lentil soup, which is what Saadiyah prepared for the Community Food Box. 

“It’s a good month for praying,” Saadiyah says about Ramadan. “We start the Qur'an from the beginning and every day we read one part and by the end of the month, we finish. Reading the Qur'an is the most important thing during Ramadan, more than the fasting and food. I started celebrating reading the Qur'an during Ramadan at 8, and now I’m 52 – that means I’ve read the Qur'an cover to cover 44 times.”   

Hearing about unity and generosity during this holy month is truly incredible. We wish a happy and peaceful Ramadan to everybody observing the month. Ramadan Mubarak!  

Spice Kitchen Incubator ensures that 100% of revenue generated by the Community Food Boxes goes directly to participating businesses to help sustain entrepreneurs as they work hard to recover from the effects of COVID-19. You can order the next month’s Community Food Box featuring Mother’s Day treats to recognize the amazing women in your lives. Learn more & place your order today here»