As New York’s (confirmed) death toll nears 24, 000, nine out of ten regions across the state have steadily begun reopening non-essential sectors and easing stay-at-home restrictions. In the five boroughs, where “PAUSE” mandates could last through June 13, small, socially distant gatherings of up to ten people are once again allowed. While some New Yorkers are beginning to ease back into the “hustle” and vigor of the past, others are confronted with new challenges. Job loss, income instability, and food insecurity are only a few of countless issues, trailing the economic fallout of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Recently, city officials announced that roughly one in four New Yorkers, living in the metropolitan epicenter of COVID-19 infections, lacks adequate food.
Brooklyn-based Mutual Aid groups, small businesses, and local activists have long been organizing food pantries and providing emergency groceries to New Yorkers in need of assistance. Tanabel, a food and events company in Park Slope, opened a food drive for refugee and asylum-seeking families in late- March, soon after the announcement of “NY State on Pause.”
“We have a built a brand around the experience of communal dinners,” said Tanabel owner, Hannah Goldberg. “Because of the pandemic, our company has adopted a ‘dinner in a bag’ model. We’ve been cooking takeout feasts for Muslim communities and Brooklyn clients during the Ramadan season, and making weekly deliveries of culturally-sensitive groceries and essential items to refugee families all over the city.”
Goldberg, a writer, world-traveler, and experienced Brooklyn chef, founded Tanabel after learning about President Trump’s directive, Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. The widely criticized Executive Order was created to temporally ban noncitizens from seven majority- Muslim countries, and to indefinitely suspend the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the United States. Goldberg, who had previously worked with refugee resettlement organizations, saw food as a way to bridge cultural gaps and provide job opportunities for refugee and asylum-seeking women. She invited women from Syria, Iraq, and other countries in conflict, to host dinner parties, teach cooking classes, and prepare gourmet meals that celebrate and reflect Middle Eastern culture and cuisine. Utilizing her culinary expertise and home kitchen as a source for outreach, Goldberg was able to effectively counter the Trump Administration’s anti-immigration policy, and provide community, equality, and independence for her chefs.
“There are gaps in integrating refugee women into NYC,” said Goldberg. “Tanabel was created to empower and highlight the talents of immigrant women, but it also serves as a place for them to find community and meaningful, empowering employment.”
Tanabel, a derivative of Souk el Tanabel, or the Arabic word for “lazy-person,” describes a utilitarian concept of meal preparation. In Syria, bushels of fresh produce are delivered to the home kitchens of women, who then prepare rich and complex, labor-intensive meals for merchants at the “lazy person’s” market.
“There are a lot of really earnest women in New York City, making incredibly sophisticated food,” said Goldberg. “The women I employ bring a true home-cooked angle to the meals they prepare. I’ve worked with food all of my life, but I’ve learned the most from my chefs. Their talents are extraordinary, and the ingredients they use are esoteric to American cuisine and culture.”
An unprecedented influx of unemployment claims and food insecurity, following the novel coronavirus pandemic, have affected many refugee and asylum-seeking communities. For Tanabel’s chefs, some living in the hardest-hit regions of New York City, the economic shutdown and strict state mandates meant relinquishing employment and camaraderie.
“Tanabel is still open for carry-out, although many of our chefs are not able to leave their apartments,” said Goldberg. “They are the matriarchs of their families, and now they are needed in their homes. For some of the women, it is simply not safe to take public transit to our kitchen.”
In March, Goldberg organized an emergency food drive, providing culturally-sensitive grocery aid to hundreds of refugee and asylum-seeking families throughout New York City. Neighbors for Refugees and Mask for NY have donated masks to include in the grocery deliveries. The handmade cloth-masks are sewn by refugees living in West Chester.
Goldberg hopes to open a brick-and-mortar store in the future, but says that for now, she is stepping back to let Tanabel evolve. Large, family-style feasts and a la carte items are available for take-out, cooked with fresh and locally-sourced ingredients. Goldberg has continued working privately with different chefs each week to prepare the meals.
“This experience has deepened my relationship with my chefs and has brought me closer to my neighbors and community,” said Goldberg. “The emergency food drive has been incredibly rewarding. Through donations, we have helped hundreds of people put food on their tables.”
Since 2017, Tanabel has brought refugee cuisine of the highest quality to the tables of New Yorkers through cooking classes, pop-dinners, and catering. Now they are providing ample and culturally sensitive deliveries of fresh produce and shelf-stable products to hundreds of refugee families living in New York City. To support Tanabel’s food drive, please donate here.
For more information on take-out catering, please visit Tanabel.com.
During this time of uncertainty, we at the Park Slope Reader are committed to continuing to serve our community. Please follow us each week as we catalog changes in our neighborhoods, while providing the latest medical developments and valuable resources. Park Slope and adjoining areas are unique to the New York City landscape, and we will continue highlighting our neighbors through weekly editorials. This is a challenging and historic time; please know we are committed to getting through this together.
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Julia DePinto
Julia Innocenza DePinto is a visual artist and writer. She has exhibited her art internationally and has attended artist residencies in the US and Europe. Julia lives between Brooklyn and Los Angeles.