The Migrant Kitchen is cooking up
opportunities for immigrants
BY DEAN MOSES
The restaurant industry has
always been a booming
one. As human beings we
must eat to survive, so starting a
food serving location has always
been a safe bet for small-business
owners—until 2020.
This once prosperous trade has
been ravaged and left in shambles
thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While many brick and
mortar eateries have either shut
their doors or are struggling to
stay open, one small kitchen is not
only carving out a space for itself
in this treacherous food market,
but they are also attempting to
give back to the community while
doing it.
The Migrant Kitchen is a popup
catering company that began
in October 2019 when two close
friends—Dan Dorado and Nas
Jab—founded their own business
that focuses on employing immigrants.
The Migrant Kitchen is an organization that seeks to empower immigrants and refugees
through job opportunities.
The Migrant Kitchen’s menu is a blend of Latin and Arab cuisine.
Dan Dorado is himself the
son of immigrants and a chef in
New York City for over 20 years.
With this knowledge under his
belt, Dorado is aiming to provide
immigrant frontline workers who
struggle to live off minimum wage
a more secure working position,
while also making donations to
those suffering from food insecurity,
serving about 60,000 meals
a week to communities in need.
Although the Migrant Kitchen
does not currently possess a
location of their own, they are
operating out of what they call a
“ghost kitchen.” This means they
are functioning from another
business’s unused space, in this
case the Dubliner Pub located
on 45 Stone Street. Dan Dorado
provided amNewYork with a tour
of their latest pop-up site.
“We started off as a catering
company that was trying to do a
lot of work with immigrants and
refugees and offer people more
than the minimum wage to start.
The hospitality industry here in
New York is pretty cutthroat and
pretty tough,” Dorado said as he
deep-fried chicken.
No matter how profi table the
food industry was for business
owners, Dorado acknowledges
that workers at the bottom of
the totem pole—especially immigrant
employees—did not
benefi t from that income during
PHOTOS BY DEAN MOSES
the best of times. By empowering
immigrants, especially those who
specialize in Arab and Latin Food
to create a unique cuisine, this
kitchen hopes they will begin to
get the recognition they deserve.
“Immigrants are what make
this city so great. We want to always
make sure that we empower
people who would otherwise not
be seen in the restaurant industry,”
Dorado said, who describes
his staff as individuals who hail
from all around the world.
Since the Migrant Kitchen has
not held a permanent location since
its inception in 2019, they have
been moving from place to place,
from kitchen to kitchen. To Dorado
and his team, this has become a
running joke, telling amNewYork
Metro that “the Migrant Kitchen is
migrating again.” Still despite this,
they founded the roving business
on a principle that intends to aid
those without access to food.
Through the “No one goes hungry
on our watch” initiative, the
Migrant Kitchen donates a meal
to someone in need with every
meal that is purchased. The “Buy
a meal, give a meal” program
has worked with several council
members, food pantries, shelters,
and NYCHA sites to offer a helping
hand.
“There was always a hunger
issue, but it has become so much
more prominent,” Dorado said,
poignantly.
The Migrant Kitchen will be
serving meals out of the Dubliner
Pub for at least the next six
months.
You can support The Migrant
Kitchen by ordering from their
website, or picking up your meal
at the Dubliner Pub at 45 Stone
Street. If you want to eat in rather
than take out, stop by The Cauldron
Magical Pub next door to
dine inside of an outdoor bubble
designated for The Migrant
Kitchen customers.
Dan Dorado shows how he prepares biscuits.
Schneps Media January 28, 2021 19