In the News
Emma’s Torch in Patch
SILVER SPRING, MD — The nonprofit Emma's Torch will be opening its new location this month in Silver Spring, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Located at 1200 East-West Highway, the new 4,500-square-foot facility will house both a cafe and a culinary training center.
Organizers will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 11 at 10 a.m., with doors opening to the public on June 12.
The base will serve as the nonprofit's new regional flagship after the decision was made in 2025 to shutter the former Brookland location.
Emma’s Torch in The MoCoShow
Emma’s Torch, the nonprofit café and culinary training program that helps refugees, asylees, and survivors of human trafficking build careers in the food industry, will officially open its new Silver Spring location on June 12. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for June 11 at 10 am at the new café and training center at 1200 East-West Highway.
The new 4,500-square-foot facility serves as Emma’s Torch’s regional flagship and is more than four times the size of its former DC location, which closed last year ahead of the move. The expanded space will allow the organization to train more than 185 students annually while providing seating for about 60 guests, private event space, and a larger catering operation. Founded in 2016 by CNN Hero Kerry Brodie, Emma’s Torch has enrolled more than 700 students from over 75 countries and has helped generate more than $34 million in increased wages for participants.
Emma’s Torch in Europe Says
Emma’s Torch, the nonprofit café and culinary training program that helps refugees, asylees, and survivors of human trafficking build careers in the food industry, will officially open its new Silver Spring location on June 12. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for June 11 at 10 am at the new café and training center at 1200 East-West Highway.
Emma’s Torch on NYC Hospitality Alliance
Kira O’Brien is the Chief Impact Officer at Emma’s Torch, where she leads the organization’s culinary training program and social ventures. She joins the show to discuss the mission of Emma’s Torch, the success stories of her students, and how everyone can support immigrants in this current political climate. In this conversation we explore the data and demographics behind Emma’s Torch, the skills she teaches her students to thrive in some of the world’s best kitchens, and building a community through food in the New York City restaurant industry.
Emma’s Torch in Bethesda Today
Emma’s Torch, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that provides refugees with culinary training and career support, will open a café and training center in downtown Silver Spring on June 12, according to a Tuesday press release from the upcoming restaurant.
Its new location is at 1200 East West Highway on the ground floor of the 1200 East West apartment building. It is the former home of NaiNai’s Noodle and Dumpling Bar.
Founder Kerry Brodie told Bethesda Today on Tuesday that she was thrilled about the opening and said an upcoming ribbon cutting ceremony was a “huge milestone.”
