Spice Kitchen Incubator helps refugees turn their cooking skills into a viable, sustainable enterprise by offering affordable kitchen space, training, access to financing, and advice about business practices and marketing. Founded by Natalie El-Deiry and the International Rescue Committee in partnership with Salt Lake County, the kitchen has nurtured the seeds of many Salt Lake food trucks, farmers market stands and restaurants. Its box meal service, Spice-to-Go, offers an ever-changing menu of exotic meals cooked by incubator kitchen’s refugee chefs. Sign up for the weekly menu, order on Tuesday, pick up on Thursday and liven up the “what’s for dinner?” question with surprise! It’s African-Caribbean fusion night.
This year the organization, already an essential resource for refugees, became, well, even more essential. When coming to this country, refugees often have nothing but a few clothes and their cooking skills; Spice helps these displaced people find their financial feet again by sharing their culture and food. With COVID restrictions limiting dine-in service and the incubator’s event catering program, Spice-to-Go became the focus, allowing the kitchen to keep sharing international food experiences serving Utah’s vulnerable refugee community.
751 W. 800 South, SLC
385-229-4484
Each year, Salt Lake Magazine editors honor growers, food evangelists, grocers, servers, bakers, chefs, bartenders and restaurateurs with the Blue Plate Awards. A Blue Plate Award is given to an establishment or an individual who has done more than put good food on the table. They’ve created culture, made acts of kindness and education and are paragons of service that goes beyond. To see the full list of winners, click here.
