A successful restaurant owner in Salt Lake City has turned her attention to empowering immigrant and refugee women through culinary education. Lavanya Mahate, who built the thriving Saffron Valley Indian restaurant chain over nearly 15 years, launched RISE Culinary Institute in 2024 to provide free professional kitchen training to women adjusting to life in America.
The nonprofit organization has already supported approximately 40 women from diverse nations including Ukraine, Colombia, Sudan, and Afghanistan. Through intensive three-month courses, participants gain essential culinary skills, industry certifications, and the confidence needed to build sustainable careers in the food service sector.
Breaking Barriers Through Culinary Arts
Mahate’s vision for RISE Culinary Institute stems from personal experience. As an immigrant from India who arrived in Utah in 2001, she understands the obstacles facing women from patriarchal societies who must navigate a new culture, language, and economic system. Her journey from newcomer to successful entrepreneur positions her uniquely to guide others through similar transitions.
The program specifically targets an underserved population that Mahate describes as having tremendous unrealized potential. Many participants come from lower-income backgrounds and have endured significant hardships including war, persecution, and displacement. Despite these challenges, they demonstrate remarkable resilience and determination to create better futures for themselves and their families.
What sets RISE apart is its holistic approach to culinary education. Rather than simply teaching cooking techniques, the program addresses the emotional and psychological needs of women who have experienced trauma. The curriculum emphasizes looking forward rather than dwelling on past struggles, creating an environment where participants can focus on personal growth and professional development.
Comprehensive Training for Real-World Success
Each RISE cohort consists of approximately ten women who attend intensive five-hour classes Monday through Friday at the institute’s facility in Sugar House, located adjacent to the Saffron Valley restaurant. The curriculum centers on French classical kitchen training, providing participants with foundational skills that transfer across various culinary settings.
Students learn proper knife techniques, sauce preparation, and other essential cooking methods used in professional kitchens. The program also emphasizes kitchen hygiene standards and food safety protocols specific to American restaurant environments, which often differ significantly from practices in participants’ home countries.
Beyond technical skills, participants earn their food handlers certification, a critical credential for employment in Utah’s food service industry. This certification opens doors to entry-level positions in restaurants, catering companies, hotels, and other hospitality businesses throughout the Salt Lake area.
The training extends to professional development areas that prove equally important for career success. Mock interviews help women practice presenting themselves to potential employers, while resume workshops ensure they can effectively communicate their newly acquired skills. These soft skills often make the difference between landing a job and being overlooked in competitive hiring situations.
Building Community and Confidence
Food serves as a powerful vehicle for cultural expression and integration within the RISE program. Mahate recognizes that many immigrant women take pride in their traditional cuisines and culinary heritage. The program channels this passion into professional opportunities while helping participants connect with their new community.
The intensive nature of the program, with daily classes over three months, fosters deep connections among participants. Women from vastly different backgrounds form supportive networks, sharing experiences and encouraging one another through the challenges of adjusting to life in America. These relationships often extend beyond graduation, creating lasting support systems.
The emotional transformation that occurs alongside skill development represents a core objective of RISE. Mahate aims to cultivate self-confidence and self-reliance in participants, empowering them to envision and pursue better circumstances for themselves and their children. Many women arrive at the program feeling uncertain about their abilities and futures, but leave with renewed purpose and concrete plans for employment.
Challenges and Growth Opportunities
Despite its success, RISE Culinary Institute faces significant operational challenges. The organization currently operates with minimal staff, just Mahate and a chef instructor managing all aspects of the program. This lean structure limits the institute’s capacity to serve more women and expand its offerings.
Funding remains the primary obstacle to growth. As a nonprofit relying on donations, RISE lacks consistent financial resources to hire additional staff members who could focus on grant writing, marketing, and event planning. These administrative functions currently fall on Mahate’s shoulders alongside her responsibilities running the training program and maintaining her restaurant business.
The next three-month cohort is scheduled to begin in early 2026, but Mahate envisions much larger possibilities for RISE if adequate support materializes. Additional instructors could allow the program to serve multiple cohorts simultaneously, multiplying its impact on the immigrant community. Administrative staff would free Mahate to focus on program development and strategic partnerships.
Volunteers represent another avenue for expanding RISE’s capacity. The organization welcomes individuals who can assist with kitchen instruction, administrative tasks, or other operational needs. Community members with culinary backgrounds could mentor students, while those with business skills might help with organizational development.
For those interested in supporting RISE Culinary Institute through donations or volunteer service, the International Rescue Committee provides information about refugee resettlement in Utah, while Catholic Community Services offers additional resources for immigrant support programs in the Salt Lake area.
A Vision Rooted in Personal Experience
Mahate’s commitment to RISE reflects both her personal history and her evolving sense of purpose. She credits the strong women in her Indian family, particularly those who taught her to cook, as inspiration for her current work. These women demonstrated quiet confidence and capability that left a lasting impression on her understanding of female empowerment.
Her own experiences navigating cultural adjustment and building a successful business in Utah inform every aspect of the RISE program. She recognizes that immigrant women possess skills, intelligence, and work ethic that simply need channeling in the right direction. The culinary field offers an accessible entry point that respects their cultural knowledge while providing pathways to economic independence.
Through involvement with various women’s organizations in Salt Lake City over the years, Mahate has refined her understanding of how to effectively support female immigrants and refugees. This work has become more than a side project, it represents what she considers her fundamental purpose: helping women achieve their full potential despite difficult circumstances.
Long-Term Impact on Utah Communities
The ripple effects of RISE extend beyond individual participants to benefit Utah’s broader community. As program graduates secure employment in local restaurants and food establishments, they contribute to the state’s economy while enriching its culinary landscape with diverse perspectives and flavors.
Children of RISE participants benefit from their mothers’ increased earning potential and growing confidence. The program’s emphasis on creating better futures explicitly includes the next generation, recognizing that empowered mothers raise empowered children who contribute positively to their communities.
Local businesses gain access to trained workers who bring unique cultural knowledge to their kitchens. In an industry facing persistent staffing challenges, RISE graduates represent valuable employees who understand both professional standards and diverse culinary traditions.
The program also challenges stereotypes about immigrant and refugee women, demonstrating their capabilities and determination. As graduates succeed in their careers and potentially start their own food businesses, they become visible examples of immigrant contributions to Utah’s prosperity.
Moving Forward With Purpose
As RISE Culinary Institute prepares for its next cohort in early 2026, Mahate remains focused on the program’s core mission of empowerment through culinary education. Each woman who completes the training represents not just an individual success story, but a testament to the untapped potential within immigrant and refugee communities.
The program’s philosophy of treating all pain equally and focusing forward rather than backward creates an environment where healing and growth can occur simultaneously. Participants learn that their past struggles do not define their future possibilities, and that they possess the strength to build new lives in America.
For Mahate, the work continues despite financial and logistical challenges because she believes deeply in these women’s potential. Her own journey from immigrant to successful entrepreneur proves that with proper support and training, newcomers to America can thrive and contribute meaningfully to their adopted communities.
The women who graduate from RISE carry forward not only culinary skills but also renewed confidence in their abilities and their worth. They leave prepared to support themselves and their families, to integrate into Utah’s economic and social fabric, and eventually to give back to others as Mahate has done for them.
