In the basement of a church in downtown Colorado Springs, a bit of world food magic happens each month. Women whip up dishes from Haiti, Syria, Brazil–bringing the flavors of lands they were forced to flee to Southern Colorado.
The women are refugees and are part of a program called Culinary Connections, where they prepare monthly meals to sell to the community.
Food and drink journalist Matthew Schniper wrote about it just over a year ago in his newsletter, Side Dish with Schniper. And on this warm, sunny, late Saturday afternoon, he's my tour guide as we dig into this month's treat of Afghan food.
Schniper picked up an armload of to-go containers at the First United Methodist Church in Colorado Springs–a feast for five enthusiastic diners, myself and a few of Matthew's friends.
"There's a regular meal with kofta, which are beef meatballs," Schniper said as he pulls the meals out of a brown paper bag. "Afghan kabouli pulao, which is rice with carrots and raisins…"
Kabouli pulao also happens to be the national dish of Afghanistan. Add in a butternut squash dip and a fragrant spinach stuffed flatbread, and so much more and you have the makings of quite the international meal.
"We are outside right now, the sunlight is glinting off of the carrots and raisins in the rice. It just looks beautiful. The butternut squash, everything has great color, so it's inviting. Makes you want to eat."
The program does multiple things, according to Schniper and his original article. First it empowers participants by teaching them basic business and commercial food handling skills.
"In the culture, sometimes the women aren't allowed to work and hold certain jobs based on the traditions of that culture," he said. "This is one way in which the women can have a way to make money and cook, which they're already doing, and share food, share culture. But, sometimes the nonprofits had to approach the husbands and get permission."
It’s also a "bridge between cultures," as the organization's vision statement states.
"When I went to pick up the food, one of the Afghani women came out and handed me that bag directly," Schniper said. "And maybe that's an interaction we're not going to have in any other setting…Where else in this town am I going to interact with that person? Naturally, organically? It's not necessarily going to be at King Soopers or the gym or something. So here's a way to directly plug in and have a cultural experience in addition to a really amazing culinary experience."
The food is authentic, the kind of meals the women would make in their own homes.
"There's also an Aghan vegetarian meal which we've ordered… Qorma nakhot, which is chickpea curry, Afghan kabouli pulao, again the rice, all the same things except the mains, the beef meatballs versus that chickpea curry."
Squash, curry — shades of orange are complemented by a cool green mint chutney. The colors pop against a light blue dinner plate.
"What's your interpretation of how this fits within the Colorado Springs food scene," one of the guests asked Schniper.
"We have a few Afghanistan places. Shah's Kabob is one example. Another one just opened on Garden of the Gods Road called Juicy Kabob," Schniper replied.
"We have had some Afghan food here in the past, usually brought by people who our military has interacted with–people who've done intelligence work or defense work. But if you look at Colorado Springs and you look at the 500 taco places, you could definitely say Afghanistan's not highly represented here."
I've never had Afghan food–at least not that I'm aware of. It's delicious. I am particularly taken with the rice dish - the rich scent makes my mouth water. Schniper said that’s exactly what should happen for a newbie.
"I feel like we're introducing this to people in a very approachable way and also affordable way. Here we are tonight feeding five with two meals and I think we'll all be more than full and happy."
It is affordable–25 dollars for a meal that can be shared. An easy way to experience tastes from a distant land right here in Southern Colorado. A new Culinary Connection has been made.
July's meal features Latin American fusion cuisine, including mole, beans and rice pudding.
Quick Hits and Memorable Bites:
- European Cafe & Restaurant: The restaurant moved into the former Dale Street Bistro Cafe downtown after its building in Old Colorado City was sold. "It's a cute building, bright with pastel colors and already laid out in a suitable way for European Cafe's size. Super fitting. Perfect, actually."
- Hold Fast Coffee Club: Launched by Reception, "it’s not an actual club, requiring sign ups, membership fees, etc. Rather, it’s a special service ... featuring newly introduced Belgian Liége waffles alongside seasonal and flagship espresso drinks."
- Yeyo Will Puerto Rican Food: Once a food truck, it became a brick and mortar a few years ago. "Get the mofongo."
- Bella's Bagels: Fresh off a Schmear of the Year award, the shop is expanding to Creekwalk Shopping Center and will include breakfast, lunch and dinner.
