Jordan
The CDP, together with Chefs Amanda Freitag, Duff Goldman, Mary Sue Milliken, Marc Murphy and Art Smith, traveled across Jordan to learn about the country’s culture through its cuisine. While there, we visited Amman, Aqaba, Petra, Wadi Rum and Irbid experiencing the regional diversity of Jordan. We spent time cooking with the local people in their homes, learning their personal stories and traditions through their food.
Working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), we visited Zaatari Refugee Camp where we paired up with some of the Syrian refugees living there to visit the camp markets together where we shopped for groceries. Welcoming us into their homes, they shared their food traditions and culture with us as they taught us how to prepare their dishes. We came back together after cooking to enjoy the meal as a group, and the chefs shared with each other what they had learned.
On this trip we experienced the different regional cuisines of the country, we learned about the Bedouin style of cooking in the desert and we cooked with people from the Syrian refugee community who lived both inside and outside of Zaatari Refugee Camp. It was an experience that none of us are soon to forget.