You’ll find a menu inspired by global, unique, and authentic dishes at MAKE Projects in North Park. The mission at MAKE Projects is “to empower refugee and immigrant women and youth with the job readiness skills to achieve their dreams.” They accomplish this through their farm-to-table nonprofit restaurant and employment training program for low-income refugee and immigrant women.
The vegetables are farmed and freshly picked at the SDSU Mission Valley farm by the program participants. During the 12-week program, they learn all aspects of the restaurant industry, including cooking, plating, serving, and hosting – it is all part of the hands-on job skills, job training, and assistance that they will receive as part of their career path coaching.
All the participants in the program are women or youth, as many of them have language barriers, come from backgrounds where they lacked access to formal education, and have not held a job before.
The food is every bit as delicious as it looks. There is as much focus on the taste of each dish as there is on the plating. In the kitchen, you can see the chef teaching and mentoring the participants on all aspects of a working kitchen.
MAKE stands for Merging Agriculture, Kitchens, and Employment, and the organization promotes eating healthy while doing good.
STANDOUT DISHES YOU SHOULD ORDER
- House-made farmer’s cheese
- Roasted beet hummus
- Roasted eggplant
- Za’atar focaccia toast
- Buttermilk flatbread
- Chef’s choice pickle plate
- Afghan chicken kebab with Haitian pikliz
- Roasted locally caught fish with coconut curry sauce
See the food on instagram
MAKE Projects Hours OF OPERATION:
Thursday-Friday Dinner 5:00 pm-9:00 pm
Saturday-Sunday Brunch 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Here is a link to a recent ABC 10 news segment on MAKE Projects.
BEST RESTAURANTS IN NORTH PARK
If you would like to visit my favorite restaurants in the area, I recommend you also read my list of “Best Restaurants in North Park.”
