Sanela

My name is Sanela, and I came to the U.S. as a refugee from Bosnia in 1998. My sister was already living in San Francisco, and that is why I chose to move there. I was 18 years old when I first got there, and I had no expectations besides just having the freedom to live. I was escaping a war, after all. People are really friendly and kind, but I also had never seen a homeless person before in my life- that was kind of shocking to see in San Francisco.

I worked as an administrative assistant for a while. I also spent about 20 years in the restaurant industry, but I left because the environment tends to be very toxic, especially privately-owned restaurants. Right now, I have my own business. I do catering, pop-ups, and other occasional gigs to make ends meet. Outside the restaurant industry, I feel really welcomed in my community. They are great and have made me feel like I belong. I am thankful for my life here, for my children, and for Oakland Bloom, a nonprofit in the Bay Area that supports poor-and-working class immigrant, refugee, and BIPOC chefs to start our own food related businesses through its training and incubator program.

Learning about and being part of The Humans Who Feed Us project has been interesting for me. From what I’ve learned, there are a lot of farmworkers in California who are underpaid and overworked. As a child, I worked with my mom in the fields. I grew up on a farm, and I helped grow potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots and much more. So, I know it is hard work. I was around 9 years old when I made my own salad from the veggies we grew. My dad said that was the best salad he had ever had, and it was a truly inspiring moment for me.

I learned that growing food without using chemicals makes the food taste different, much more intense and flavorful. My childhood experiences helped me become who I am today and have shaped me and the way I prepare my food – healthier and without artificially enhancing its flavors. 

I dream that in the future, I can open a Bosnian restaurant in Oakland. Five years from now, I imagine my business will smell like freshly baked burek, and I will be known for serving amazing Bosnian food. I think most people in Oakland have not experienced Bosnian cuisine, and my dream is that when people taste my food, they will be able to taste a little of our history and the community will get closer together through my flavors.

u Bosni:

Zovem se Sanela I došla sam u SAD kao izbeglica iz Bosne 1998. godine. Moja sestra je već živjela u San Francisku i zato sam se odlučila tamo preseliti. Imala sam 18 godina i nisam imala nikakva očekivanja osim što bi imala slobodu da živim. Bežala sam od rata. Provela sam oko 20 godina u ugostiteljstvu ali sam to napustila jer je okruženje bilo veoma toksično. Danas imam svoj biznis I bavim se cateringom I pop-up-ovima. Osječam se zaista dobrodošla u svojoj zajednici. Zahvalna sam za svoj život ovdje, za svoju djecu I za Oakland Bloom, neprofitnu organizaciju koja podržava imigrante, izbjeglice I kuhare BIPOC-a da pokrenu vlastite poslove vezane za hranu kroz svoj program obuke I inkubatora. Kao dijete, radila sam sa mamom na farmi I pomagala u uzgoju mnogih povrća, tako da znam da je to težak posao. Ova iskustva iz djetinjstva oblikovala su način na koji pripremam hranu – zdraviju i svježiju. Moj san je otvoriti bosanski restoran. Zamišljam da moj biznis miriše na svježe pečeni burek a bit ću poznata po tome što ću služiti ukusna hranu. Volela bih da kada ljudi probaju moju hranu, mogu da probaju malo naše istorije, a zajednica će se zbližiti kroz moje ukuse.