WHAT IS GASTROADVOCACY?
Immigrant Food celebrates immigrants through a menu inspired by immigrant flavors, ingredients, and spices from around the world. At the same time, we advocate and educate on behalf of the immigrants who have – and will continue to – make America great.
We call this combination of flavor and purpose simply gastroadvocacy.
WHY A RESTAURANT?
Immigrant Food is a restaurant and food company of advocacy, change, and community. We are #UnitedAtTheTable to serve World Flavors with a Mission. Why a restaurant? Because restaurants have always been the place where immigrants made a living, created community and showed off the cooking of their heritage. America is a land of immigrants, and with each and every group who came here to bring their cuisine, they also brought their skills, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. When immigrants are undermined, our country loses grit and drive. And, of course, our palates suffer.
THE STORY OF AMERICA IS THE STORY OF IMMIGRANTS
The story of America is intertwined with the stories of countless immigrants. “America is open to receive not only the opulent and respectable stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all nations and religions,” George Washington told newly arrived Irishmen in 1783. Immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. Immigrants still believe in the American dream. Unless you’re Native American, you – or your ancestors – can trace your heritage back to someone who came from somewhere to and create a life in this country.
IMMIGRANTS: THE ENGINE OF AMERICA'S GROWTH
Immigrants and their children are a huge economic driving force. They built many of the cutting-edge companies that transform our lives, employ thousands of U.S. workers and make Americans proud. Did you know that 55% of America’s billion- dollar startups have an immigrant founder? The current CEOs of Microsoft, Google, Tesla, Uber, and Oracle were all born overseas. Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, America’s largest company, was the son of a Syrian immigrant. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos was raised by an immigrant father from Cuba. Immigrants comprise 40% of U.S. science Nobel prizes since 2000 and make up around 25% of all U.S. science and technology workers. In sports, immigrants are America’s star athletes. In the NBA, about 20% of players were born outside the United States. In baseball, that number is close to 30%
THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IMMIGRATION
Let’s ask ourselves: Do we really want to stop America from being a hub for leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship in so many different fields and industries? Immigration is a bedrock of our national strength. And that special mix of people and cultures makes America great…again and again.