Soup & Stories
Held every Wednesday, 12 – 3 p.m.
The Welcome Project, 2940 Colerain Ave.
For more information call (513) 437-0387 or email welcomeprojectcincinnati@gmail.com
If you’ve driven down Colerain Avenue in Camp Washington and wondered what's happening inside The Welcome Project, you’re not alone.
Here’s one of the many answers to your questions, Soup & Stories.
“I cook Mexican food. I’m from Mexico,” says Lety Sanchez, the interim chef at The Welcome Project. “I have been living here for six years now and I like to make everything from scratch, like the traditional way it’s made in Mexico.
Lety Sanchez
She and many others take time from their busy schedules every week to shop, prepare, cook and serve meals to people who walk through the doors of The Welcome Project.
“I have been cooking traditional dishes like pozole, (I’ve) met a lot of nice people here that are open and willing to try new food, new culture,” says Sanchez. “So, for me, it’s a way to share my background, my culture, my family history.”
The Welcome Project works to empower and connect our area’s refugee and immigrant communities, and it does this through a variety of programs that connect, assist, and inspire people through art and food.
“Soup & Stories is how people overcome difficulty, maybe tragedy and how you can be reborn after a tragic incident,” says Sanchez.
For this Soup & Stories, Sanchez is preparing homemade chili with a side of rice mixed with carrots, peas, and corn with lettuce, with the the help of her two daughters.
As they cook, people file into the space. Many of the visitors are business professionals who have come to learn more about the organization. They find a place at a table in thee middle of the room, with the open kitchen behind them and an art gallery in the next room.
The Welcome Project is next to WavePool Art Gallery. The organizations work together on a number of project, including mock citizenship interview opportunities. Other programs include the Camp Washington farmer’s market, artist made goods, and an ever-changing art gallery.
“It’s another way we can connect with community members,” says Erika Allen, The Welcome Project’s interim director. “We become friends and they tell us what it is that they need. Sometimes, they give us suggestions, they come in to say ‘hello.’ It has created so many friendships.”
– Lauren Artino