Culinary Connections

Social Good Through Good Food.

welcome@welcomecos.org

Colorado Springs, CO

A new kind of community.

Refugee-status chefs prepare traditional meals… you experience new cultures.

Purchase Meal Here

Every meal supports job training, certification, and fair wages for our chefs.

Each purchase builds understanding, creates opportunity, and invests in a more connected Colorado Springs.

September

2025

Feature Cuisine:

Afghan

Pick-Up Date

9/20, 430-530pm

First United Methodist Church

420 N Nevada Ave, Colo Spgs, CO 80903

Our Menu

We offer a seasonal menu that reflects the skills of each participant cohort.

This September, we’re showcasing Afghan flavors and culinary traditions!

Afghan Regular Meal – $25

Kabuli Palaw (Afghan Rice with Chicken), Gulpea (Curried Cauliflower), Afghan Bolani (Potato Stuffed Flatbread), Salaateh Afghani (Afghan Salad), Chatni (Chutney), and Khajoor (Afghan Cookie with Pistachio)

Afghan Vegetarian Meal – $25

Vegetarian Kabuli Palaw (Afghan Rice without Meat), Gulpea (Curried Cauliflower), Afghan Bolani (Potato Stuffed Flatbread), Salaateh Afghani (Afghan Salad), Chatni (Chutney), and Khajoor (Afghan Cookie with Pistachio)

Purchase Meal Here

Culinary Connections is a collective effort.

Built by a team of organizations with deep roots in refugee resettlement, social impact, and community outreach, we combine experience to create opportunities where food and culture bring people together.

This program supports newcomer chefs, promotes economic opportunity, and fosters a stronger, more connected community.

Social good through good food.

Culinary Connections is a platform for women to share their culture with their new communities- while also supporting their families.

Your purchase supports newcomers to the Pikes Peak region, including these Syrian families:

My name is B, me and my husband came to the USA on February 28, 2024. My husband works for Comcast as a cable technician. We have a baby boy. He is eight months. I am taking here of him. My first goal is to study and I want to continue my studies in nursing.

I am N, my husband is D. I am from Afghanistan. I entered the United States on December 5, 2023, after my family and I were approved by the United States government for a Green Card. I am a resident of Colorado. My husband has been working for Amazon sinve we arrived in Colorado. I have 4 children. My eldest son is 12 years old and he is in seventh grade. My second son is 10 years old and he is in fourth grade. My third child is in second grade. My youngest daughter has not yet started school. I am unemployed and interested in a cooking job. I know cooking skills. If I get some support, I will open a restaurant in the future.

My name is B and my husband is N. We have arrived in Colorado Springs about four months and a year ago. I am twenty-nine years old. I have three children, two boys and a girl. My two children go to kindergarten. My husband works at Walmart. I am at home taking care of my baby boy and studying English twice a day, once at school and once online

My name is R and my husband name is A. My husband came to the United States in 2018. During the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, he worked with American soldiers. I came to the United States in January 2024 and started a new life with my husband. We do not have children yet, but we are expecting a baby boy soon. My husband works in a restaurant, and I am currently unemployed. I am trying to learn English so that I can manage my life in the United States in the best way possible. I am also working on learning how to drive.

About the Collective

Culinary Connections empowers newly arrived refugee and immigrant women by facilitating food handling certification, developing fundamental business skills and providing paid opportunities to share their culinary heritage. Through Culinary Connections, we foster cross-cultural understanding, build meaningful connections, and create pathways toward economic independence for women.
We envision a community where food is more than nourishment—it’s a bridge between cultures. By supporting immigrant and refugee chefs, we strive to create sustainable opportunities, celebrate heritage, and strengthen connections between neighbors through shared meals.
Culinary Connections is a collaborative effort between community organizations in the Pikes Peak region to support women of incredible culinary talents through the sharing of traditional dishes from their cultures.