Restaurant founders of Jhal NYC, Bengali Brooklyners Mahfuzul Islam and Alvi Zaman use their food philosophy to improve the lives of new immigrants.
This social entrepreneurship project serves to empower the Bengali immigrant community. It does so by employing its members, offering language training, and preparing them for their transition into a new career in a new country.
Memorializing the food they grew up on, Mahfuzul Islam and Alvi Zaman created a menu that offers traditional Bengali favorites. These include Jhal Muri (puffed rice with herbs), Murghi Korma (simmered chicken), and Shorbot (rose lemonade).
Mahfuzul Islam and Alvi Zaman provide more than food on their menu
As a first generation Bangladeshi American, Mahfuzul Islam began his social startup Jhal NYC with a dual purpose: to sell traditional Bengali food to New York City and to employ Bengali stay-at-home mothers and new immigrants as they transition to their new country.
In addition to offering cooking skills to their local community, Islam and his partner/cousin Alvi Zaman teach immigrant customers English, help them use public transportation, provide them professional career advising, and help them construct a network of support.
Moreover, Jhal NYC provides mentorship to young Bengali New Yorkers as they too learn how to establish a new life in the United States.
Food that tastes close to home
The inspiration for this social startup started with Islam’s mother’s own story. She came to the U.S. in 1991 and raised Islam in New York. There, he learned some of the challenges his community faced in the big city.
“In school, being called names and having all these stereotypes being thrown at us. And you know, saying that we smell and our food is spicy. It’s just a lie. South Asians get that as a whole,” Islam says. “As young folks, we don’t know how to deal with that. And the only way to deal with that is by pushing it aside and saying no, we’re not that.”
Now, Islam and Zaman are embracing both their Bengali and New York backgrounds to the fullest. “Jhal NYC was created to shine light on the distinct Bengali-New York culture that we grew up in: the taste of the Bengali food we were raised on [and] the aesthetic and sound of the streets of New York,” Islam says.
The taste of Jhal NYC
Click here to view the Jhal NYC menu and catering options.
Find more about Mahfuzul Islam, Alvi Zaman, and the rest of the Jhal NYC team here!
