Philadelphia’s renowned for its vibrant food scene, and that’s in part thanks to the different cultures that make up our city. Immigrants accounted for 15.1% of new residents in 2023, according to Pew Charitable Trusts. The city’s Language Services Usage dashboard shows Philadelphians have accessed resources in 119 languages.
However, White House policies targeting immigrants across the country and an increased ICE presence may slow this growth. And local immigration nonprofits are struggling to sustain their work assisting immigrants, migrants, and refugees.
One local chef is working with Philadelphia’s culinary community to financially support these nonprofits, send a message of open-mindedness, and share delicious meals from around the world.
Ange Branca, the owner and chef behind Kampar, created Muhibbah Dinners as a way to celebrate Philadelphia’s diverse communities and make a difference. “Muhibbah” is a Malay word that describes the pure harmony of multiple races coming together in the spirit of peace and tolerance.
Running a Restaurant Amid Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
The Muhibbah Dinners began in 2017, the same year that the first Trump Administration instituted a travel ban to the United States, mostly from Muslim countries.
“The feeling among immigrants was pretty much like what we’re feeling today,” Branca said. “There’s a lot of fear going on. There was a lot of racial discrimination as well among the immigrant community. Islamophobia was at its highest at that point.”
Branca had just opened her restaurant a year before, and what was meant to be a celebratory time was tainted by worry. As a first-generation immigrant leading a staff of mostly immigrants, there was a sense of fear and lack of focus in the kitchen, she said, with staff afraid to go to work or leave the house at all, concerned they would be pulled off the streets.
“I’ve been in America for many years and never felt that kind of chaos and fear as an immigrant in this country until that point of time,” Branca recalled.
Chefs prepare dishes for the Muhibbah Dinner at Rex at the Royal on March 25, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Hiue Pham)
As a new business owner navigating a tumultuous time, she didn’t want to feel helpless. She wanted to do something. So Branca contacted the city’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and learned about several organizations supporting Philadelphia’s immigrant community, such as HIAS Pennsylvania, Nationalities Services Center, and SEAMAAC. These organizations host know-your-rights workshops and offer legal assistance, but need funding to keep the resources running.
Then, everything clicked for her. If she could use food to bring people together, maybe she could rally people around this common cause through her cooking and connect immigrants to needed resources.
Breaking Down Barriers With a Shared Meal
The first-ever Muhibbah Dinner took place at her restaurant’s first iteration, Saté Kampar, which only sat 50 people. Branca invited a few chefs – professional and amateur alike – to contribute dishes tied to their cultural heritage, describing the event as a “chef-led potluck.” Each guest chef then shared a story about the personal connection to the dish and what brought them to the United States.
“Through food, we basically make a strong statement that we all came from somewhere else,” Branca said.
Guests attending a typical Muhibbah Dinner are treated to a welcome cocktail, utilizing flavors from the kitchen to create a unique drink to pair well with the dishes on the menu. (Dinners are BYOB, if you’d prefer.) Attendees are then seated, ideally next to strangers so as to invite conversation and eat community-style. At least five courses and desserts are then presented by the participating chefs. The hope is that guests leave with a full stomach and fuller heart.
Participating chefs cook a meal from their culture and share their personal connection to the dish. (Courtesy of Hiue Pham)
Branca has observed that people today seem more open-minded to tasting new flavors from all around the world, but that was not the case back in 2017. When the series first started, people were used to the flavor profiles of the courses matching, which isn’t easy to do when countries from around the world are involved. The potluck style of the series gives guests the opportunity to break from that mold.
“You want to have an open mind that you are going to be exposed to all these different ingredients that the chefs are using and bringing together and sometimes, you’ll be trying food you have not tried before,” Branca said. “Sometimes you have food that you are very familiar with – but [it] means something else to the chef. And sometimes, you might be challenged with flavors that you’re not sure [of], but it’s okay. Because you’re going to try it anyway and it’s going to taste good and the chef is going to tell you why that’s important.”
Since its inception, the Muhibbah Dinner Series has hosted nine events and raised over $80,000 for organizations that support immigrant and refugee communities, including Al Bustan-Seeds of Culture and Esperanza.
“The stories I had in the kitchen, I felt that has enriched my life so much and I felt that needed to be shared,” Branca said. “And I’m hoping that through Muhibbah Dinners, it’s a way of sharing that kind of conversation that we have in the kitchen ... that most people don’t get to hear.”
The next Muhibbah Dinner is on June 2 at Sor Ynez in support of the Welcoming Center. Tickets are $160 and available for purchase here. If you cannot attend but would like to make a donation, click here.
