Today we’d like to introduce you to Jin-Ya Huang.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jin-Ya. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I lost my mom to multiple myeloma cancer two years ago. We were planning her 75th birthday, a milestone celebration, not a funeral. When I experienced the most devastating loss in my life, there were many who told me I should not be grieving, that I should be grateful that she’s not suffering anymore, that she’s in a better place. They asked me to accept that her arduous battle with cancer had finally ended. Later, as time passed, some people suggested that I should be done with the sorrow.
As an artist, I turned to my craft because I knew it would help me cope and heal. Many people didn’t understand why I needed to make art about something so sad or how art could help me recover. But, much like the Parkland Students and Sheryl Sandberg, I couldn’t be still; I turned my grief into action.
We came to the states from Taiwan in 1983 to help my aunt and uncle with the family restaurant in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1991, my parents purchased from my dad’s younger brother one of the 16 Chinese food franchises they owned, and we moved to Dallas, Texas. That’s when I became a social practice artist. Whether I’m making billboards to dialogue on race or building an interactive wishing tree for an art museum, I heed my mom’s advice to do what’s good and right. My mom taught us to practice kindness every day and always remember people’s names. I employed the lessons I learned from my mom to build community.
My mom, Margaret Huang, was ahead of her times. As the head chef and owner of the Chinese franchise, she made it a point to hire and teach immigrants and refugees how to cook, ushering them on to bigger and better opportunities with training to increase their job options. Looking back, she had a strategy to cope with the global migrant crisis before I even knew what the phenomenon was. After she passed, I struggled to cope with the tremendous grief, so I created a social justice initiative called “Break Bread, Break Borders” to honor her legacy. Since my mom was a chef, restaurateur, and a community leader, I wanted to combine all her superpowers in one project to keep the activism she started alive. BBBB is catering with a cause. We give refugee women access to professional training. We leverage their basic skills, such as cooking, to empower them economically, allowing them to earn a living wage by catering. It’s a dignifying way to learn how to fish instead of being given the fish. The social entrepreneurship program uses a “work while you train” incubator kitchen concept to provide cooks in the Vickery Meadow (Dallas, TX) community mentorship opportunities with professional chefs, restaurants, catering services, commercial kitchens and culinary consultants. The program helps refugees acquire food handler permits, food manager licenses and, depending on their need, placement in full-time jobs in restaurants, or pathways to culinary school.
I once heard the refugee celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich speak at a lecture about how food is a great equalizer. Anybody with a difference of opinion can sit down and break bread with the community and break down borders at the same time.
As the great civil rights activist Grace Lee Boggs said: “We are the leaders we’ve been looking for.” My mom taught us that inclusion and equity mean all should have access to success. As an activist, I have to stand up for the voiceless. What sets BBBB apart is the women don’t just drop off the food. They spend time with the diners, sharing stories of their war-torn countries, discussing their lives as refugees abroad and here in America. Then they share what it’s like to cook with BBBB. It gives them a safe space to talk to communities they wouldn’t normally interact with. It’s heartwarming to hear diners say that, after tasting the food and seeing the faces behind the food, they recognize these women are no different from their own sister or mom.
I’ve since deleted the voicemail messages my mom left me. Although I still tear up every now and then, I no longer break down every time I speak of her in public forums, and ugly cry afterward in the bathroom. I still have in my freezer the last batch of Chinese pickled cabbage she made, and her handwriting of my name on a yellow post-it note. Now, I understand the quote from Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi master: “Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.” I understand this eternal love that keeps on giving because I’m able to pay it forward and give back to our community. It’s all thanks to my mom.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are many challenges to create a vision and path to social entrepreneurship. There’s language barriers, cultural differences, funding issues – everything that a for profit and a nonprofit go through with growing pains. When we started we thought it’d be a beautiful community dinner to spark conversations. But the refugee cooks told us, “Jin-Ya, that’s really nice – but we need jobs”. That’s what sparked the catering. To be honest I wasn’t ready. But it was what the community wanted. As a social practice artist, when the community asks for fire, I cannot bring them water. So we set out to make this work and so far with the word of mouth, and a ton of people pitching in, we’ve been able to make it work.
We’re so fortunate to have incredible partners in the community to collaborate with. Seriously we truly wouldn’t be where we are without their love and support. From International Rescue Committee, Human Rights Initiative, Mosaic Family Services, Refugee Services of Texas, Catholic Charities, Cafe Momentum, Missional Wisdom, MIX Kitchen Co-Working Space, Sweet Moses Catering Company, Trini Kitchens, Garnish Kitchen, Milano Pizza, Hello Dumpling, Southern Methodist University Hunt Institute, University of Texas at Dallas, Vignette Art Fair, Deep Ellum Publishing, Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, Dallas Morning News, Dallas Observer, D Magazine, Mayor’s Star Council, Leadership Dallas, Welcoming Communities of Immigrant Affairs, Temple Emanu-El, Social Venture Partners, United Way of Metropolitan of Dallas, Big Thought, Fossil Group, Teach for America, Dallas Yoga Center, Race & Conciliation Symposium, Orchid Giving Circle, to Texas Lyceum and Participant Media – the list goes on. We’re grateful to everyone who steps up not going doing the talk, but the walk as well.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Break Bread, Break Borders – what should we know?
Break Bread, Break Borders is catering with a cause. We set refugee cooks up for success by teaching them how to fish and how just give them the fish. We specialize in education, mentorship, and storytelling through food and culture. We’re known for our ability to cook with love, and spreading this message of peace, kindness, and unity by breaking bread with the community and breaking down borders at the same time.
BBBB is proud to be a good neighbor and to be able to serve our communities in more ways than one. It’s not every day you get to meet a refugee, let alone eat food cooked by them. The beautiful common grounds that are celebrated every time we share our food brings people together. We are honored to be this bridge for people.
What sets us apart is that the women don’t just drop off the food, they get a moment to interact with the diners and they do their storytelling of what their lives were like in war-torn countries. They talk about living as a refugee abroad and here in the States side. Then they get to share what it’s like to cook with BBBB. It’s all heartfelt and people taste and feel the difference. It’s a powerful experience to dine with us.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Kindness. Grit. Authenticity. Love. Gratitude.
We have been the recipients of such grace and generosity throughout our lives – it is simply our time to give back. We’re truly thankful people let us in their hearts. I hope it makes a difference to make it a better world for my son and our future generations to grow up in. Every bit of this is our sincerest gift to our city.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.makeartwithpurpose.net/projects.php?id=58
- Phone: 214.549.3368
- Email: breakbreadbreakborders@gmail.com
- Instagram: @jinyahuang
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breakbreadbreakborders/
- Twitter: @BBBB_Welcome
Image Credit:
Brian Maschino
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