Kommissary partners with NYC Health + Hospitals to provide Thanksgiving meals for asylum seekers
NEW YORK -- Thousands of Thanksgiving meals are being prepared for asylum seekers through NYC Health + Hospitals.
CBS New York's Shosh Bedrosian got a firsthand look at how these meals are being prepared with a culturally inclusive menu.
"To feed the migrants was really, it felt like a dream come true to provide better, nutritious and culturally relevant meals," said Edward Song, CEO of Kommissary.
From freshly cooked to packaged up, these Thanksgiving meals have meaning to Song.
"This tradition might not be something that's familiar with a lot of our migrants today," he said.
Song says it's an opportunity to welcome migrants to American culture.
"Honor both this very old American tradition but also provide a meal that was nostalgic for our population," he said.
His kitchen has partnered with NYC Health + Hospitals to make thousands of Thanksgiving meals with hopes of bringing a sense of comfort or familiar tastes and foods to migrants in new, unfamiliar locations.
"Instead of turkey, we did baby chicken legs, for example, with a brown gravy just because chicken is more familiar to them," said Iman Kawa, director of operations at Kommissary.
Kommissary says they're preparing over 27,000 meals for lunch and dinner for Thanksgiving.
The story of migration runs deep for the 350 workers cooking the meals, including Song and his staff. They say their experiences fuel them to provide high quality meals and warm hospitality.
"The migrants here, they went through so much to get here, and for us to not show them what New York City is all about would be a disservice to not only us but the previous generations of New Yorkers that were welcomed," Song said.
The food from Kommissary Kitchen will be served at 10 different locations in New York City, including Thursday at the Watson Hotel in Manhattan.