Hilton McLean Tysons Corner to Host Refugee Chef Pop-up Event in Partnership with Tables Without Borders
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Michelle Myers
Hilton
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Hilton McLean Tysons Corner to Host Refugee Chef Pop-up Event in Partnership with Tables Without Borders
Limited-time Dinner Series to Showcase Emerging Refugee Chef’s Afghan Cuisine at Härth
McLean, VA – October 2, 2019 – Hilton McLean Tysons Corner invites culinary enthusiasts, guests and locals alike to experience a series of dinners in partnership with Tables Without Borders at Härth, featuring Chef Nejat Ahmadollah on October 18th, October 25th and November 1st from 5pm to 10pm.
Diners can savor Chef Nejat’s dishes via a special tasting menu or a la carte. Highlights include Kabuli – braised rice with lamb, topped with raisins and slivered carrots; Kadoo – baked pumpkin with yogurt sauce, garlic and mint; Chicken Kabob, featuring an Afghan spice blend and cilantro chutney. A portion of the proceeds from all three dinners will be donated to Table Without Borders’ non-profit partner HIAS, a leader in refugee resettlement and advocacy, and to help sustain Tables Without Borders after the event.
“I’m looking forward to sharing my passion and love for cooking and Afghan cuisine with guests at Hilton McLean,” said Chef Nejat from Tables Without Borders. “Tables Without Borders enables me to showcase authentic dishes representative of my country’s history and timeless traditions while adding a modern twist.”
Arriving in the U.S. with his wife and two children in 2015, Chef Nejat is an asylum-seeker from the Baghlan province in Afghanistan. Having learned about his country’s traditional cuisine at a young age, cooking with his family in their restaurant business – growing up in Afghanistan, Chef Nejat continued to perfect his craft of cooking and developing his culinary skills while holding positions in family-owned restaurants, and catering for local weddings and events.
One of the honored traditions that Chef Nejat continued to refine was the creation of Afghanistan’s national dish, Kabuli – a rice pilaf consisting of raisins, carrots, and lamb. While many of his recipes modernize and honor traditional Afghan cuisine with a creative twist, he’s remained true to the preparation of Kabuli, using the same recipe as his ancestors did.
In June 2019, Chef Nejat participated in Tables Without Border’s non-profit inaugural dinner series at Maydan. Participating Washington, D.C. restaurants welcomed four other refugee and asylum-seeking chefs into the kitchen, helping them to reestablish their careers while building a community motivated to support them.
As part of Chef Nejat’s preparation for the dinner series at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, he will spend several weeks in paid part-time training, working collaboratively alongside Executive Chef Philip Thompson in Härth’s kitchen to create the menu featuring locally-sourced and traditional Afghan ingredients.
“We’re excited to welcome Chef Nejat to the Härth kitchen at Hilton McLean,” said Executive Chef Philip Thompson, Hilton McLean. “Our partnership with Tables Without Borders provides us with the opportunity to introduce our community to traditional and authentic Afghan cuisine, while engaging our Team Members who can learn new techniques from Chef Nejat while working alongside him in the kitchen. It also helps us contribute to Hilton’s global commitment to creating opportunities for all as part of the Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals.”
For more information or to book a reservation for one of Chef Nejat’s Table Without Border dinners at Härth, please visit www.opentable.com/r/harth-mclean.
For more news on Hilton Hotels & Resorts, visit newsroom.hilton.com/hhr.
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About Tables Without Borders
Tables Without Borders is a non-profit dinner series and an opportunity for emerging refugee and asylum-seeker chefs to reestablish their careers and rebuild their lives with dignity.