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.

August

2025

Feature Cuisine:

Syrian

Pick-Up Date

8/23, 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 August, we’re showcasing Syrian flavors and culinary traditions! We are working on our menu now.

Syrian Regular Meal – $25

Saniya Jaj (Chicken and Potatoes), Fattoush (Side Salad with Dressing), Khoubez (Pita), and Kurat al’Nutella (Dessert Nutella Balls)

Syrian Vegetarian Meal – $25

Horaa Osbao (Lentil Dish with Pomegranate) with Riz bi Sha’rieh (Syrian Side Rice), Fattoush (Side Salad with Dressing), Khoubez (Pita), and Kurat al’Nutella (Dessert Nutella Balls)

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:

F and A are mother and daughter chefs! They both love to cook. F is the mother of 5 children. Their family spent several years in Turkey while waiting for resettlement in America. F is a kind and nurturing woman who hosts amazing celebrations and cooks amazing food. A is the oldest daughter of a family of seven. She is about to start her final year of high school. A works hard to take care of her family. She also works as a respite caretaker for her younger special needs sister. A loves to cook and has learned so much from her mom, F. She has dreams of going to college and traveling the world!

R and her family were one of the first private sponsorship families in Colorado. This means that a local church team helped with all of their resettlement! R, her husband, and their 4 children have been hard at work learning the culture, making friends, and building a new life. R’s husband works in District 20.

M’s family is Syrian but spent a decade in India after fleeing the Syrian civil war. Last year, they were finally resettled in Colorado. M’s family owned a small gyro shop in India and they dream of opening their own restaurant in Colorado Springs. M and her mother will both be involved in Culinary Connections as they build their experience to one day offer their food full-time to the city. M has dreams of opening a restaurant with her family! She also is considering college and the opportunities in store for her future there!

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.