Refugee Services of Texas serves survival stories, global recipes in new cookbook
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Mixing recipes from around the globe with first-hand survival stories, one of the state's leading refugee resettlement programs, Refugee Services of Texas, is releasing Plated Stories: Legacies from Home to Table.
The cookbook becomes available on June 20, which is World Refugee Day. Plated Stories features recipes from 21 contributors – everything from Egyptian spinach stew to Salvadoran stuffed tortillas to Vietnamese taro pudding to Croatian pastry – with easy instructions and culture-specific twists in each recipe.
It tells the stories of refugees, asylum seekers, and survivors of trafficking from Africa, Central America, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe, as they recount their journeys fleeing from war, persecution, and trafficking situations to find safety and opportunity in Texas.
"With record numbers of refugees coming from Afghanistan and from Ukraine, it's more important than ever that people hear these stories and connect with the common humanity we all share," said Ashley Faye, writer of Plated Stories and Senior Director of Development at RST. "Food and stories are common denominators to our collective humanity, so we hope this book will foster understanding and appreciation for all the cultural flavors our world has to offer. I hope readers will find as much enjoyment and fulfillment in the book as we did in creating it."
Donations made toward ordering the cookbook go directly toward the work at Refugee Services of Texas, which serves vulnerable populations through case managers who help individuals and families find housing, services, schooling, and job opportunities in the Lone Star state.
"These recipes are infused with memories of home and family, with old traditions that will never be forgotten and new friends who provide hope even in the midst of starting over. As we expand our palates and our experiences through these stories, we are receiving one of the greatest gifts in the human experience: a bond with people from around the world who are just like us," said author Jessica Goudeau.
With less than three months remaining in the federal fiscal year, the U.S. is on track to resettle just 18,900 refugees in 2022, according to the organization. This is as the world is seeing record displacement of vulnerable populations, with more than 84 million people forced from their homes because of violence, persecution, and natural disaster.
Only a fraction of a fraction of those displaced persons are granted resettlement in another country, much less the United States, according to the social-service agency.
Originating in Dallas, RST now has service centers in Amarillo, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, and San Antonio.