Immigrant Chefs Find New Opportunities Through Culinary Training and Storytelling

A new project is helping immigrant chefs gain the skills and credentials to work in restaurants or start their own food businesses. The initiative, led by psychologist and author Julia Roncoroni, also features their stories in a book called Sazón and Liberation. Profits from sales go directly back to the chefs involved. Senaida Sifuentes, a chef from Colombia, arrived in the United States in 2019 after her small business there collapsed. Struggling to find stability, she took on multiple jobs while trying to rebuild her life. Now, she runs Zeny’s Colombian Street Food, a business inspired by her mother’s empanada recipe.

Roncoroni partnered with Mi Casa Resource Center to create a training and licensing programme for immigrant chefs. The first group of eight chefs, including Sifuentes, recently graduated. The project not only provides professional support but also shares their journeys through food in *Sazón and Liberation*. For Sifuentes, empanadas are more than a dish—they’re a way to stay connected to her cultural roots. The book highlights her story alongside others, aiming to give readers a deeper understanding of immigrant experiences through their cooking.

The programme has already helped its first graduates, like Sifuentes, turn their culinary skills into sustainable careers. With profits from the book funding further training, more immigrant chefs may soon get the chance to work in professional kitchens or launch their own businesses.