Break Bread, Break Borders (BBBB) is catering with a cause. The social enterprise empowers refugee women economically through the storytelling of food and culture. Every meal cooked in their global kitchen is making everlasting social impact. Founder Jin-Ya Huang, an interdisciplinary artist, says, “We break bread with the community and break down borders at the same time. Please be a good neighbor, hire our small business, come dine with us, share the work we do. We’re honored to serve our community in more ways than one.”

She emigrated from Taipei, Taiwan, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the age of 13. “As descendants of refugees fleeing China from Communism, we came to the U.S. to help my aunt and uncle with the Chinese restaurants family business. Soon there were 16 franchises in the Southwest,” relates Huang. “My parents decided to purchase one in Dallas. My mom, Margaret Mei-Ying Huang, was the chef. I grew up seeing her do the right thing, be a good neighbor, practice kindness and compassion every day.

She shares, “Her sense of community shined through when she would hire immigrants, refugees and migrants to work in our kitchen and send them onto bigger and better opportunities. Needless to say, I was too young to understand the magnitude of her work. I went on to toil in advertising and showed fine art photography after college. Through transformative events of having a child, getting a divorce and becoming a domestic violence survivor, I found myself migrating towards making social practice art. This came full circle when my mom passed away from cancer.”

Huang wanted honor her legacy, and BBBB was born. Food is a universal language; thus the idea of a community dinner for dialogue between refugee cooks and their neighbors through the sharing of food, culture and storytelling. People asked about catering, and she was faced with a difficult decision. “When the community asks for fire, I cannot bring them water,” says Huang. “I saw ample sustainable global food business models, but none in our own backyard, so I took the plunge. Working with refugee women from war-torn countries has been complex, with many roadblocks, yet incredibly rewarding at the same time. Looking back, it was a no-brainer. We’ve built a Food for Good business by, with and for the community. Every time the ladies cook, my mother’s spirit comes to life.”

As a culinary workforce training program, the cooks don’t just drop off the food when they cater, they also practice storytelling about racism, sexism and other injustices. Huang states, “We are extremely honored to serve our communities in more ways than one. Knowing we’re continuing my mother’s lifelong work to make more collective impact by economically empowering women in our beloved communities gives us joy. The fact our work is leaving this world a little better than the way we found it for my son to grow up in, just as my mom did for us, makes all of us proud.”

For more information, visit breakbreadbreakborders.com.