I have fallen hard for the MAKE Projects Cafe in North Park. It has a quiet energy that comes from refugee and immigrant women focused on learning how to cook unfamiliar dishes, to work in restaurants or catering, and even how to apply for and interview for a job. Not to mention learn English. The cafe’s chef instructors have made a point of incorporating dishes that are part of their students’ culture into the menu—and mixing it all up a bit. So you have tacos that combine Mexican tortillas with an Afghan marinade for chicken, a Haitian pickle, and African hot sauce. And then there are the fabulous Somali Red Lentils served with focaccia. The recipes for all of these accompany my new story in The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section.