PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia-based organization specializing in cultural food and groceries has helped to provide culture-specific food to evacuees from Afghanistan who have resettled in the Delaware Valley.
RiceVan's operations have grown tremendously since this summer when the evacuation crisis began.
"Food plays a big part. It's also a social activity and a bonding experience," said RiceVan President Eric Rosenfeld. He added the company was founded around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when people were homebound.
"According to the Pew study and the Census, now we have 500,000 foreign-born individuals living in the surrounding collar counties, compared to about 250,000 living in Philadelphia proper, and there are certain sort of cultural food deserts," said Rosenfeld.
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Founder Dan Tsao said he came up with the business model with a focus on Asian food.
"Thousands of Asian families living in suburban areas, they don't have access to the comfort food that they used to get," he explained.
He said they expanded to include a Halal division this summer when evacuees from Afghanistan began to arrive in Philadelphia.
"For Afghan refugees, there is no central place in Philadelphia," said Tsao. "Myself as an immigrant, I recognize the need for support."
Rosenfeld said an important part of their work is to source culture-specific ingredients.
"We discovered that there is a long-grain Persian super Sella basmati [rice] which is very unique but very specific to Afghanistan and parts of Iran," Rosenfeld said.
"Certain kinds of cumin, certain kinds of spice, which maybe to me, of someone of my background, maybe I was not aware of the nuances, but for someone who grew up with that, and is frankly in a very tumultuous period of their life now, is something that can be grounding and emotionally restorative."
They also hire the people they serve.
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"If we can hire individuals from those specific fields, we can stay authentic to that cuisine and that culture," Rosenfeld added.
RiceVan food for evacuee populations is currently funded through federal dollars.
There's also a donation campaign set up through their website to provide assistance for those who don't qualify for federal funding. Specifically, they have a RiceVan Afghan Refugee Relief Program.
Rosenfeld said they soon expect to expand into additional specialty markets, like kosher foods.
