Hub 450’s Cultural Meals Event Series
Join Hub 450 this Friday, April 14, 2023, for their first in a series of upcoming Cultural Meals in Lancaster City, highlighting three African cuisines.
The first event will feature a Moroccan buffet from Dr. Bushra Fakier, owner of Flavors of Morocco. Fakier will also demonstrate a traditional Moroccan tea ceremony and share a bit of her personal story and some background on the food she has prepared.
“Flavors of Morocco is my love for my country,” Fakier said. “I create it to share my culture and give back to my country by gathering people around a Moroccan table, making them excited to visit Morocco every time they taste my food.”
Fakier’s meal is the first in a three-part series of Cultural Meals. On Friday, May 12, join Chef Isabelle Warfel, owner of Isabelle Cuisine (currently accepting catering orders), for Hub 450’s West African Buffet and Cultural Q&A event.
“Isabelle Cuisine was born out of my love of cooking and eating. I love being in the kitchen,” Warfel said. “I love sharing/introducing my food to everyone and it makes me happy when I see them enjoying it. My hope is that it will continue to grow (it’s growing very slowly) into a successful catering business. I’m still not tired of cooking. I really enjoy experimenting with different ingredients in the kitchen.”
The final evening in Hub 450’s upcoming three-part series—on Friday, June 9—will highlight Ethiopian cuisine. Chef Etayehu Zenebe will share a light appetizer and buffet entree and will demonstrate a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony with event attendees.
Event Organizer Nolan Deck explained that the idea for this dinner series was sparked during his time in an ASSETS Idea Incubator course and that he and his team found inspiration in other community events here in Lancaster.
“We were inspired by other events that have come before us (i.e. BRIDGE, Taste the World) that showed the diversity and unity of Lancaster City,” Deck said. “The general event format will be a welcome introduction, an explanation of the food and how it's eaten, done by the Chef (translated, if needed), and a buffet of authentic food from [the Chef’s] country.”
He continued, “Following the meal will be a cultural experience, which could be a speaker, performance, or activity. We hope that people will come away with a better understanding of the culture, current status, and history of a country.”
This event series is a part of the Neighbors Cafe—a space that Deck is hoping to open soon. “We are working hard to open a public cafe in the coming months, Neighbors Cafe,” he explained. “The cafe will be a shared kitchen space for immigrant chefs, a training center, and a hub for all cultures of foods and drinks. We hope this can provide an opportunity to underrepresented populations, as well as highlight the amazing programs currently running at Hub 450 (after-school tutoring, ESL classes, citizenship tutoring, Women's Global Village, etc.).”
For more information or to purchase tickets to attend an upcoming Cultural Meal event, click here. Tickets cost $40 per person + fees.
By: Maddy Pontz
