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.

November

2025

Feature Cuisine:

Haitian!

Pick-Up Date

11/15, 4:30-5:30pm

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 November, we’re showcasing Haitian flavors and culinary traditions!

Haitian Regular Meal – $25

Beef Taso (cubed beef), Diri ak Pwa Kole (rice and red kidney beans), Pikliz (pickled cabbage relish), Bannann Peze (fried plantains), Sauce Ti-Malice (spicy condiment), Pain Patate (sweet potato pudding-cake)

Haitian Vegetarian Meal – $25

Ragou Legim (mixed vegetable stew), Diri ak Pwa Kole (rice and red kidney beans), Pikliz (pickled cabbage relish), Bannann Peze (fried plantains), Sauce Ti-Malice (spicy condiment), Pain Patate (sweet potato pudding-cake)

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 Haitian families:

A is from Les Cayes, Haiti. She has been living in the United States for 1 year and 10 months. She works at Amazon. Her parents have 4 children, and she is the third. She is a makeup artist, she does hair, and she is also a nail technician, and she would love to get her licenses to work in that field; it's her dream.

G is Haitian and has been living in America since 2023. She has 2 children, a daughter and a son. She lives here with her daughter. She is in the 3rd year of school. She is studying cosmetology. She is a businesswoman in the cosmetics business.

Born in Bainet, Haiti, M is a proud mother of two and a passionate ambassador of Haitian cuisine. A graduate of culinary school in 2005, she honors her homeland by creating authentic dishes such as griot, pikliz, soup joumou, and rice with djon djon, adding her own creative touch to each plate. Since arriving in the United States 10 months ago, M shares her love of Haitian culture and flavors through her cooking, bringing warmth, family traditions, and the true spirit of Haiti to every meal.

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.