Pan Valley Institute 20th Anniversary

Recently several of us went to the American Friends Service Committee’s Pan Valley Institute 20^th anniversary, celebrating 20 years of working with refugees and immigrants.  This celebration included what they call Cultural Kitchen which has for many years served to strengthen multie-ethnic relationships through the process of learning about shared migration journeys.  We tasted foods prepared by chefs that are emerging from these communities;  and we tasted food by Hmong, Zapoteco, Mexteco, Iranian and Iraqi cuisine.  Highlighted was the food prepared by Nour Al Mshantaf, one of many Syrian refugees that began arriving in Fresno in late 2016.  I took photos of this table as Dalya Hussain from Iraq translated for Nour as she described the foods that she’d cooked.

If you want to know more about Pan Valley institute and their work you can call them at (559) 222-7678.