Roots, the first social restaurant in Modena, celebrates diversity and provides chances for migrant women residing in the city.
We are speaking with Caroline Caporossi, the creator of Roots, the first social restaurant in Modena that opened two years ago, while seated in a unique area of the San Paolo complex, beneath the enormous spreading tree in its courtyard. She informs me that the location of the San Paolo church, which Roots managed to obtain, has great meaning under the peaceful tree.
The church, which was originally associated with the worship of young women, is currently a part of the social services organization that was established in 1998 as a result of the conversion of the San Geminiano girls' orphanage and the San Paolo provincial girls' school. The convent of San Polo was utilized as a school for underprivileged girls after 1816, and it became the San Paolo Provincial girls' school in 1859.
When Caroline talks about how she spotted the possibility for immigrant women in Modena, she does so with an eventually serene and favorably benign smile, making a connection between the need for trained labor and the desire to improve the lives of those brave people who need to be properly integrated into society.
Originating from a Calabrian family that immigrated to New York in 1902 and went on to open restaurants, Caporossi took a significant turn in life while maintaining a precise sense of sensitivity. Following her Italian spouse to Emilia after completing her studies in international affairs and working with immigrant communities in the US, she finally found herself involved with Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore's non-profit initiative, Food for Soul. Through this ground-breaking opportunity, Caporossi met Chef Jessica Rosval, who is now her friend and partner in The Association for the Integration of Women (AIW). And there's Ella, the Nigerian refugee lady whose story of struggling to find employment in the restaurant business inspired the original concept for Roots.
Caroline Caporossi
When Caporossi and her friend, chef Jessica Rosval, founded the AIW in 2020, their first focus was on giving immigrant women the tools they needed to become more integrated into society both professionally and culturally.
When it comes to economic integration, migrant women between the ages of 25 and 35 are the most disadvantaged category.
For women who have never worked in a professional kitchen before, Roots' paid training program builds theoretical knowledge, technical skill sets, and one-on-one mentorship. More importantly, though, is that Roots has an impact on a personal level as well. It gives trainees the confidence they need to work their way up to a real professional environment while providing individualized care for each woman, who frequently faces obstacles because she is a woman and a migrant.
The culinary director chef Jessica Rosval, who is presently the head chef at Casa Maria Luigia and Gatto Verde in Modena, mentors a new batch of trainees every four months. Rosval says throughout the lesson that it's a time to learn and explore other cultures, and she feels the same way about the fortitude of the training ladies.
