MERA KITCHEN COLLECTIVE

Founders - Emily Lerman, Aishah Alfadhalah, and Iman Alshehab

Established - 2016

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Mera Kitchen Collective is a worker-owned cooperative comprised of members from across the globe. From Syria to Kuwait to Burkina-Fasso - Mera’s mission is centered on “the empowerment of Baltimore's refugees and immigrants through food entrepreneurship”.

We caught up with collective members Emily Lerman, Aishah Alfadhalah, and Chef Iman Alshehab as they prepared to make their unique blend of global selections to a sold-out crowd at DC’s Compass Rose.

What does “Mera” the word mean to you all and how does it speak to your values as a business?

CHEF IMAN - (with Aishah translating) - Mera comes from the Arabic word Meraki which means to do something so passionately that you leave a piece of yourself in it. It is like giving a piece of your culture, your history, your soul in the meal. We have a saying in Arabic that says “Cooking is giving your soul” - and it is very much like that.

AISHAH - What we do at Mera helps to change the narrative for immigrants and newcomers from a deficit-based to asset-based one…and that we are lucky to have people contributing to the fabric of society in Baltimore.

There are and have been a lot of global dishes and food styles represented on your menu - has this lead to any “cross-cultural” collaboration or “invention” of recipes?

CHEF IMAN - (with Aishah translating - Being in the kitchen with so many chefs from all over the world have influenced their own cooking. There is a curiosity to learn from each other.

I like to do a fusion of different cuisines. So the spirit of different cultures comes together on one plate - creating unity and strength on the plate.

As a Baltimore-based creative entrepreneur, how do you see participating in the BCAN Founder Fellowship shaping your futures as business owners?

AISHAH (translating for Chef Iman) - I learned how to be a leader and an owner.

EMILY - It has been beneficial because it has given us the time and space to think. About who our target audience is and about our “why”.

AISHAH - It has been an investment in our growth. It has given us room to think beyond where we are…to see where and what we will be in 5 years or 10 years and take steps to achieve that.