CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Earlier this week, 27 chefs from across Chicagoland offered tastings inside the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture — for the benefit of Tigrayan refugees.
Chef Tigist Reda, who owns Demera Ethiopian Restaurant in Uptown, said the event was about raising money and raising awareness about the civil war in her homeland, Tigray, in the northern region of Ethiopia.
“People … are in the dark about this,” Reda said. “I think the biggest thing out of this program is awareness.”
The civil war has been going on in Tigray since 2020.
Reda said 1 million people have fled to nearby Sudan, while 6 million remain stuck inside Tigray without access to food or medical supplies.
“There’s no eggs, there’s no milk, so we’re seeing malnutrition with kids from 0 to 6 [years old],” Reda said.
Chicago Chefs Cook for Tigray raised more than $100,000. All the money will go to care for refugees.
The next “Chefs Cook” event will raise money for the people of Puerto Rico and World Central Kitchen on Sept. 28 at the museum.
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