When Comal Heritage Food Incubator closed this past February, not only did the Denver culinary community lose a great restaurant, but an important institution as well. The eatery’s mission was to build up and support immigrant women who wanted to work in or own a restaurant.
Luckily, Comal isn’t the only place building up underserved communities. Where one great spot falls, more pop up. Now the Denver metro area has a handful of service-forward restaurants where immigrants can eat food remnant of their homeland, and thrive in the service industry. In this three-part series we dive into the groups making waves. First up, Mango House in Aurora.
Why Restaurant Incubators Matter
During its eight-year run, Comal earned many awards, including a spot on the New York Times list of 50 Best Restaurants in America in 2021. But it was more than the food, the concept also served a much-needed role as a training ground for female immigrants and refugees seeking to start food-related businesses or work in the restaurant industry.
During its run, more than 40 participants passed through the program, with about a half dozen going on to open businesses of their own. Most brought with them the rich culinary traditions of their homelands, spanning the globe from Syria, to Mexico, El Salvador to Iraq, and other countries.
But navigating the risky and complex restaurant world takes a lot more than a recipe and some techniques handed down over generations. Teaching the skills necessary to succeed is a critical step for anyone motivated to share their culinary culture in a new land.
After all, be it owner or back-of-house staff, the restaurant industry has long served as a beacon for those seeking a new life in this country. According to U.S. Census data cited by Nation’s Restaurant News, 29% of the restaurants and hotels in the U.S. are owned by immigrants, twice that of the 14% ownership rate for all businesses at large.
So it’s fortunate that although Comal is no longer an option for those walking that path, there remain other options in Denver for those seeking a new life through the culinary world. Here are a few worth noting and, where possible, worth visiting.
Mango House
What began as a medical clinic designed primarily for refugees, Mango House today is a full-fledged community center run by and for immigrants. In addition to the clinic, the mall-like space also houses several specialty shops and stores, hosts community events and religious gatherings, and is home to six food stalls operating in a sort of food-court manner.
They include 509 Cuisine, Jasmine Syrian, Natoli Ethiopian Cafe, Nepali Spice, Tata and Nono, Sudanese Kitchen, and Urban Burma. According to Mango House founder Dr. PJ Parmar, the food stalls are a critical component of the Mango House mission.
“My whole life is the interface between immigrants and non immigrants, and so I saw the restaurant stalls as a sort of interface between them,” he said. “Without them, there would pretty much be no non-refugees in the building. Having the restaurants here brings in the non-refugees and creates that interface.”
Mango House supports these businesses with a space that draws curious diners, as well as an infrastructure like coordinating grease trap removal, cleaning, fire systems, and so on. Parmar also helps some owners set up their business paperwork, taxes, and licensing filings.
Since 2019, Parmar says some 20 food businesses have occupied the stalls. Many went out of business. Others grew enough to expand to their own dedicated locations, such as the owners of Nepali Mountain Kitchen moving on to take over the Taz Indian Restaurant at 10731 E. Alameda Ave. in Aurora. But some, like Urban Burma and Jasmine Syrian Food, have remained and show no interest in ever leaving.
“I love it here,” said Mohamad, who with his family runs the Jasmine Syrian Food stall, which since 2019 has received multiple “best of” accolades by Denver food outlets. “People are nice. They come here because they like to try new food and support restaurants. It just feels like home.”
The newest entry to the line of stalls is 509 Cuisine, featuring Haitian food (509 is the country’s area code). Ted Toussaint and a group of partners, all Haitian immigrants, opened it in April. Toussaint moved to the U.S. in 2012 when he was 17, following the earthquake that devastated the country. But he’s long wanted to bring a taste of home to his life here.
“When we came here, everything was different,” he says. “Nothing we see in Haiti is here. So we are here to help bring some of that back and let people know about the Haitian community with food.”
And that’s exactly what Parmar hopes will happen with each food stall that operates under the Mango House roof.
“The real magic happens when a group comes in and one or two of the people in that group may not have found themselves in a place like this otherwise,” added Parmar. “They can maybe open their minds a little bit and maybe think about whether they enjoy getting to know these other cultures.”
Visit Mango House Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and weekend from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hours for the restaurants vary, but most are open for lunch and dinner. 10180 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, ardasclinic.com
