25 May Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Women Helping Women Thru Food at Roots in Modena, Italy

Food is something that connects us. It connects us to each other, to our own cultures and memories, and to the world around us. And that is exactly what food does at Roots in Modena, Italy. Roots is where immigrant women in Modena are given an opportunity to learn skills in the kitchen that in turn open career opportunities while building confidence and independence. This is why Women Helping Women Thru Food at Roots in Modena, Italy is the Please The Palate Pick of the Week.

As someone who loves to explore different cultures through food and wine, combined with all the discussion surrounding immigration today, I was intrigued to learn more about Roots after hearing about it a few months ago. I was at the Taste Awards in Los Angeles representing the Wine Soundtrack podcast which was nominated for an award. One of the winners was Mattia Alberani, an Italian filmmaker from Cinefood Studios, who made a documentary about Roots in Modena.

I was immediately curious and wanted to know more. I knew I would be traveling to Italy a couple of months later and wanted to make a point of dining there. While staying with my dear friend in Vercelli in Piemonte, we decided we would drive to Modena for the night to have dinner at Roots.

The drive was 3 hours across Piedmont and Lombardy and into Emilia-Romagna. We arrived in time to enjoy a quick aperitivo on our way to the restaurant.

Roots is located in the heart of Modena in what was previously the church of San Paolo. By day, the venue is a work space and at night it is converted into a restaurant with two dining areas. One room feels more lively and energetic; the other room feels calm and peaceful. And in the summer, the dining room is moved to the outside where tables are set up under a centuries-old tree.

The concept of Roots was started by visionary Caroline Caporossi, an American who studied international affairs and worked with immigrant communities in the United States before moving to Italy. While working with famed chef Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore’s non-profit initiative, Food for Soul, Caroline met chef Jessica Rosval. Together they founded AIW (Association of Integration of Women) in 2020. Their goal was to provide immigrant women with the tools needed to better integrate into society both professionally and culturally.

As explained in the documentary, Caroline would pass Ella, a Nigerian refugee, every day on her way to work. They started talking and Ella explained how she was struggling to find employment in the restaurant industry. This was the inspiration for Roots.

Roots offers a training program for immigrant women coming from all over the world. The training program lasts for four months and there are three training sessions each year with 2-5 interns per session. The training has two parts. The first part is the kitchen internship in which they work on the line and learn professional kitchen skills. They have lessons on technical skills such as baking, meat, and fish. The other part is lessons about work in general, from creating a resume to how to read a paycheck.

The menu each semester is based on the interns of the season. At the beginning of the season, they present themselves and share a dish from their home country. They then try different techniques and experiment with different preparations to come up with the final menu.

During my visit, the current interns are Fatima and Ilham from Morocco, Ilknur from Turkey, and Rita and Samira from Ghana.

We started with a refreshing non-alcoholic drink from Ghana made with pineapple and ginger.

We then ordered a bottle of Cantina Zucchi Marascone Lambrusco di Modena DOC (Lambrusco di Salamino) to enjoy with dinner, because when in Lombardy, that is the wine to drink.

The first course was a series of small dishes with items from Ghana, Turkey, and Morocco.

Dall’Aria Mediterranea della Turchia  – Mercimek Koftesi, Acuka, Haydari

Dal Mercato del Marooc – Maakouda, Salsa di Zzalouk

Dall’ Orto del Ghana – Gombo, Yam Pottage

The following course was a choice of a Turkish dish of Giocare in Casa (spiedini di pollo e agnello con peperoni e pomodori) [marinated lamb and chicken skewers with peppers and tomato] con Waakye (Riso con fagioli e foglie di sorgo) [rice and beans with sorghum leaves] and Black Pepper Sauce.

Or the other choice was Ghannan with a Green Goddess Egusi (una zuppa cremosa e vibrante con semi di melone e uovo all’occhio di bue) [creamy soup made from melon seeds with a fried egg and fried chickpeas) con Cuore e Anima (Arancino di coucous con salsa di chermoula) [an Arancino made with couscous and filled with dried tomato, olive, and cheese].

To finish, there was Moroccan Sellou (Pasticcino di mandorla, sesamo e miele) [a pastry made with honey, sesame seeds, walnuts, and almonds] and Ghanaian Nkatie (Caramelle alla arachidi) [a caramel peanut brittle]

And a Turkish Per Mia Figlia [For my Daughter] (Torta di kadayif con ricotta e mozzarella) [pasta fillo filled with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and topped with simple syrup and pistachio]

Each dish offered so much flavor and the love and care put into each plate could be tasted. There is such beauty in the concept of Roots with women supporting women through food. Roots Modena has only been open for two years and it has already had such a positive impact on many women’s lives. It was worth the three-hour drive there and back to enjoy this special meal. Roots in Modena, Italy is a model of good that can be done in this world and dining there will definitely please the palate.

To learn more about Roots, check out the short documentary from CineFoods.