Heritage is often tied to our culinary traditions. We love and learn through food. I remember growing up in the kitchen with my mom. It became less about what she was cooking and more about the stories that traveled with family recipes. This is where I learned and took pride in my Jewish and Italian heritage, and this is when we would sit around the table and light candles to commemorate the living traditions that were not only time-honored but helped shape a foundation for identity and resilience.
I recently had the pleasure to explore a culinary mecca in Nashville with my dear friend Maneet Chauhan. For those who aren't familiar with Maneet, STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING and turn to page 286 of The New Southern Style to see how this changemaker is shifting the culinary landscape in the South. Together we explored the important neighborhood in South Nashville along Nolensville Pike, which is home to one of the largest refugee resettlement populations in the United States.
According to Avi Mediratta at Vanderbilt University, refugee groups who are Sudanese, Somali, Kurdish, Bosnian, and Hispanic have come to smaller Southern cities “partially because in 2001, the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) chose three nontraditional locations in the South as new targets for incoming refugees. The idea was that new refugee communities could be built in these cities and have a relatively larger political influence in smaller cities rather than large ones.”
Exploring this neighborhood and all it has to offer through the lens of a foodie was a gift in and of itself. Maneet and I were with The Bitter Southerner’s crew as we blocked off our afternoon, tuned out the outside world, and dialed into what mattered most — connection to food and connection to heritage.
Here are the spots we visited during our time together:
Surati Indian Street Food
Patel Brothers
Taqueria Express Food Truck
K&S World Market
La Conchita Panaderia y Pasteleria
Baraka International Market & Bakery
Sichuan Hot Pot & Asian Cuisine
To read more about our must visit food markets and restaurant list, check out the beautiful feature with The Bitter Southerner, and for a few of my family recipes, click here or here to watch.
If you’re inspired to donate to an organization that supports refugees in Nashville after reading and watching — as I hope you are — here are three to explore:
To help refugees around the world, head here for a comprehensive list.
