Refugees find new opportunities here in Montgomery County at a cafe in downtown Silver Spring.
Emma’s Torch cafe at 1200 East-West Highway teaches culinary skills and job preparation to help set refugees, asylees and human trafficking survivors up for success in the U.S. — and customers get to taste their work.
The Silver Spring cafe is now open to the public serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, pastries and coffee/tea. This new flagship location comes in addition to two sites in New York.
Emma’s Torch takes its name from Emma Lazarus, the poet whose words are on a plaque at the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
Participants in the program learn restaurant basics from food safety to customer service. Other parts of the program teach skills like how to prepare a resume and get ready for an interview. There is also emphasis on teaching empowerment to these students who escaped unimaginable circumstances and are starting anew. The program takes applications.
According to Founder and Executive Director Kerry Brodie, Emma’s Torch has a more than 84% job placement rate among its graduates.
