In the heart of Modenawithin the ancient walls of the San Paolo complex at Via Francesco Selmi 67, a door opens that leads elsewhere. Or perhaps, finally, home. Beyond that threshold, in a former monastery complex converted into a restaurant, fragrances waft out that tell the world: ginger, coriander, grilled plantain, hummus, roasted cassava, empanadas. The hands that knead, cut and mix are those of migrant women, often mothers, who have had to transplant their roots far from their country of origin, in search of a new land in which to flourish. Women with dreams, hopes and the desire to build a future through work.
Valuing the wealth of knowledge and culture that these women bring with them - made up of flavours, memories and traditions - in 2021 a training project was created by Jessica Rosval, a Canadian chef who has already worked alongside Massimo Bottura at the Osteria Francescana, and Caroline Caporossi, president of AIW (Association for the Integration of Women). The aim is to offer sixteen women who are passionate about cooking a concrete opportunity to start a career in the hospitality sector every year.
ROOTS, 'roots', represents the natural evolution of this journey: a social concept celebrating diversity by transforming it into opportunity. The restaurant offers a set menu that changes three times a year, inspired by the stories of the trainees and developed in collaboration with Jessica Rosval. At the end of each training cycle, the brigade is renewed and with it the menu, created together with the participants. The dishes thus become an expression of the cultural traditions of the aspiring cooks, transforming each service into an experience of sharing, memory and creativity.
Each course tells an authentic story: a border crossed, one culture intertwined with another. They go from Nigerian jollof rice with Italian vegetables to Turkish bulgur enriched with local herbs, to Moroccan couscous reinterpreted in the form of arancino. There are the hands of Lilian, born in Modena to Ghanaian parents, which tell of a passion inherited from her mother, and those of Tahira, for whom serving rice is a gesture of love, as in her homeland.
There is the story of Mercy, who after completing the Culinary Training Programme now works in a restaurant in the city and has become a volunteer mentor for new participants. And that of Zouhaira, a Tunisian, who says with emotion: 'When Italians come to try our Suya chicken with peanut sauce, they use their fingers to lick the plate. Just like in Africa. When we eat something good, we are all the same'.
These words encapsulate the essence of ROOTS: a place where you not only learn to cook, but also to believe in yourself. Here the true scent is that of stories, made up of expectations, dreams, relationships and achievements. It is a space where diversity becomes a value and the meeting of cultures generates beauty, innovation and humanity. A home for those who have crossed the world chasing a dream and today can finally share it with others, through a plate and a smile.
Caroline Caporossi likes to recall the story of her great-grandmother, who emigrated from Calabria to America in 1902. She too, like many women in Modena today, carried a suitcase full of memories, recipes and hopes. "We want to offer those who arrive here the same opportunity," she explains, "we want their stories to be heard and for them to be able to put down roots and thrive in a new land, without forgetting their origins.
ROOTS is training, mentoring, growth, but also rebirth. It is a restaurant, event space and educational workshop. The 100% of membership fees supports the social impact of AIW, which operates in collaboration with a network of partners active in the Modena area. Even those who choose to eat at the restaurant - or organise a private event - contribute concretely to the project.
Anyone wishing to participate in this mission can also do so by making a donation at weareaiw.org. Because there are places that nourish only the body, and others that nourish people, relationships and possibilities. At ROOTS, food becomes storytelling, redemption and a future: roots that do not hold back, but enable growth.
Ph. credits: Gloria Soverini
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