Currently, the chefs hail from Syria, Sudan, and Nepal. Global Café is set up to allow immigrant/refugee chefs to build a following and possibly branch out on their own, if they so desire. Should that happen, Global Café will support that effort, and a chef from another home country may take the spot of the one who has opened their own place.
The chefs who cook at Global Café now are Fayha from Syria, Ibti from Sudan, and Indra from Nepal. It's managed by Juan Viramontes of Mexico. When you walk inside Global Café, you select the food stall you want and order there. The chef prepares your dish and hands it to you, and then everyone pays at the same register. A few co-workers and I checked it out today.
There are so many vegan options that I had a hard time deciding, but I've been craving baba ganoush, so I opted for the Syrian stall with an order of Baba Ganoush with Pita and Yalangi (rice-stuffed grape leaves).
Plus, an order of Turkish Coffee! Few things make me happier than a strong cup of cardamom-spiced coffee.
The baba ganoush was some of the best I've had. It was a hearty portion loaded with smoky, roasty eggplant and tahini. The grape leaves were also very large. And they were lightly warm and packed with tomato-laced, seasoned rice. I was very happy with my selection.
My co-worker Gonzo is also vegan, so I snapped pics of his order too. He headed for the Nepalese stall, where he ordered a few apps for us to share, including these Vegetarian Samosas and Vegetarian Mo Mo Dumplings. I didn't try the samosas (next time!), but I had a dumpling and it was so perfect, especially with that garlicky red dipping sauce.
Chef Indra also hooked him up with some free Vegetable Pakoras. I didn't see these on the menu, so maybe they were just a special today. But man, they were great!
For his entree, Gonzo got the Nepalese Vegetarian Chow Main. I didn't steal a bite (I wanted to!) but I want to order this next time. Isn't it gorgeous?
There were also some vegan options on the Sudanese menu (like hummus falafel and vegetarian sambusa). I can't wait to go back and try more!
Global Café is open 11 am-9 pm, Sunday through Thursday and 11 am-10 pm Friday and Saturday. Check out their menu here.
5 comments:
I'll have some of everything on this post! Those grape leaves are gorgeous and that chow mein!! I on't think I've ever ha Turkish coffee but it sounds amazing!
Your posts make me want to visit your city and eat EVERYTHING. ;)
Omg everything looks so delicious! You definitely can't go wrong with any of those options! I am such a huge fan of grape leaves so that is definitely calling my name right now!
Ooooh, i would have ordered the babaganoush too, i love it when it’s made well- yours looks fantastic! Turkish coffee is a weakness of mine... there was a turkish cafe downstairs from my office for a while and they knew my order when i walked in :))
Such an exciting option for food as well as an admirable commitment to the community
Ttrockwood
Wow, this all looks incredible! I would have a hard time choosing too. I love the idea for this business model! I hope they have lots of success stories.
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