Nonprofit to open MoCo café, training facility

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Emma’s Torch, a nonprofit social enterprise providing culinary training for refugees, asylees and survivors of human trafficking, announced Tuesday it will open a café and training center on June 12 in Silver Spring.

Located at 1200 East-West Highway, the 4,500-square-foot eatery will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the morning of June 11 with expected attendance from local officials and community members, according to a release. 

The new café location enables Emma’s Torch to expand the training space and dining that attracted customers to its Brookland location in Northeast Washington, D.C., which closed last year to prepare for the move to Montgomery County. 

Emma’s Torch Silver Spring café and training center, a new regional flagship location, is designed to accommodate 60 occupants, has the capacity to serve more than 185 students per year and features additional space for private functions and community events, according to a release. 

The café will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday in its initial weeks, the nonprofit said, will feature a menu with breakfast and lunchtime favorites like its signature Egg & Cheese Biscuit, Avocado Toast on ciabatta and Crispy Chicken Sandwich. Emma’s Torch expects to serve an array of pastries, such as the Smoked Cheddar Broccoli Tart and Cinnamon Bun. 

Brunch at Emma’s Torch Silver Spring will be served on weekends, featuring dishes like the Brown Butter Pancake, served with blueberry compote, and the vegan Shakshuka with chickpeas.

According to a release, Emma’s Torch’s students come from more than 75 countries and receive culinary training for a more promising future in the career market. The nonprofit was founded by Kerry Brodie in Brooklyn, New York, in 2016. 

In the coming weeks, Emma’s Torch will add outdoor dining, as well as beer, wine and cocktails to the menu for its Silver Spring site, which joins three existing locations in New York..