Immigrant Food

Immigrant Food is a fast-casual restaurant brand founded in Washington, D.C., with a concept that links food, immigrant identity, and civic engagement. The first restaurant opened on November 12, 2019, at 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, one block from the White House. Its founders were chef Enrique Limardo, Téa Ivanovic, political consultant and advocate Peter Schechter, and Ezequiel Vázquez-Ger. The founders themselves came to the United States from Venezuela, Belgium, Italy, and Argentina, respectively, giving the business a founding story rooted in migration and cultural exchange. The restaurant’s menu is prepared by Limardo and draws on culinary traditions associated with China, El Salvador, Ethiopia, and other countries. Rather than presenting a single national cuisine, Immigrant Food uses fusion dishes to express the way immigrant communities and food traditions interact in the United States. The brand’s restaurant format is designed to be accessible and relatively informal, while its menu and communications emphasize the cultural contributions of immigrants. Immigrant Food was conceived not only as a place to eat but also as a platform for what it calls “gastroadvocacy.” The concept emerged partly from Schechter’s concern about anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States and his view that restaurants can provide a practical way to communicate the value of immigrant contributions. The opening date was significant: November 12, 2019, coincided with the Supreme Court’s first arguments concerning the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. On that day, the restaurant promoted information about DACA and shared an image of one of its tote bags near the Supreme Court. Its advocacy model includes an “engagement menu” that gives customers ways to participate in activities supporting immigrant communities. The restaurant has also made space available to nonprofit organizations for meetings, classes, and community events. Organizations identified in reference material include the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center, Ayuda, the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, CASA, and CARECEN. Activities associated with the space include English instruction, job-search assistance, citizenship classes, and other immigrant-support programming. The brand expanded beyond its original Pennsylvania Avenue location in 2021. It opened a food stall at Union Market on May 12 and an offshoot called Immigrant Food+ at the Planet Word museum on October 7. On July 23, 2024, it opened a location in Arlington County’s Ballston neighborhood in Virginia. These additions extended the concept into food-hall, museum, and neighborhood settings while retaining the connection between restaurant operations and community engagement. Immigrant Food has also used themed events to connect menu activity with social causes. A 2022 brunch celebrated vaccines and the contributions of immigrants to vaccine development. The event included a syringe-shaped ketchup dispenser for fries, and a portion of proceeds was donated to Mary’s Center, a nonprofit providing health-care services to underserved communities in the Washington, D.C., and Maryland area. The brand’s positioning is therefore broader than that of a conventional fast-casual restaurant. It presents food as both a commercial offering and a medium for cultural storytelling, public education, and immigrant advocacy. Available reference material does not establish a parent company, ownership structure, executive roster beyond the founding team, revenue figures, or a national expansion plan.

Immigrant Food was established by chef Enrique Limardo, Téa Ivanovic, Peter Schechter, and Ezequiel Vázquez-Ger. The founders’ backgrounds span Venezuela, Belgium, Italy, and Argentina, and the restaurant was designed around the idea that immigrant food traditions are a central part of American cultural life. Schechter brought experience in political consulting and advocacy, as well as service on the board of ThinkFoodGroup. Ivanovic had worked in journalism and public relations. Limardo and Vázquez-Ger had previously operated the restaurant Seven Reasons, which received recognition from Esquire. The first Immigrant Food location opened on November 12, 2019, at 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., near the White House. The opening was timed with the Supreme Court’s first arguments regarding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The restaurant used the occasion to share information about DACA and to signal that its business model would include public engagement as well as food service. Schechter described the restaurant as a way to show how immigrants use food to communicate culture and a sense of home, while also distinguishing the concept from a restaurant that exists solely as a political organization. Limardo developed a menu combining culinary influences from China, El Salvador, Ethiopia, and other countries. The result is a fusion-oriented fast-casual format rather than a cuisine limited to one national tradition. Food preparation and menu development are associated with Limardo, while the broader brand concept connects the menu with immigrant stories and advocacy. The restaurant refers to its civic work as “gastroadvocacy.” It has partnered with the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center, Ayuda, the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, CASA, and CARECEN. These organizations have used space above the restaurant for meetings, English classes, job-search assistance, citizenship classes, and other activities for immigrant communities. Customers have also been presented with an “engagement menu,” a list of possible actions for supporting immigrant-related causes. Immigrant Food expanded in 2021 with a Union Market food stall, which opened on May 12, and Immigrant Food+, an offshoot at the Planet Word museum, which opened on October 7. The brand later entered Northern Virginia when it opened a Ballston location on July 23, 2024. The available reference material does not identify a parent company, formal corporate group, ownership changes, financial results, or a complete management structure. Advocacy programming has included themed events. In 2022, the restaurant hosted a brunch celebrating vaccines and immigrants’ contributions to vaccine development. The event used a syringe-style ketchup dispenser as a visual prop for fries, and a portion of sales was donated to Mary’s Center, which provides health-care services to underserved communities in the Washington, D.C., and Maryland region. Through these activities, Immigrant Food has maintained a hybrid identity: a restaurant brand selling globally influenced food and a local civic venue that promotes immigrant participation and support.

• 2024

  Ballston opening

  [1]Immigrant Fooden.wikipedia.org

  Immigrant Food opened a restaurant in Arlington County’s Ballston neighborhood on July 23.

• 2022

  Vaccine advocacy brunch

  [1]Immigrant Fooden.wikipedia.org

  The brand hosted a brunch highlighting immigrants’ contributions to vaccine development and directed part of the proceeds to Mary’s Center.

• 2021

  Union Market expansion

  [1]Immigrant Fooden.wikipedia.org

  Immigrant Food opened a food stall at Union Market in Washington, D.C., on May 12.

• 2021

  Planet Word location

  [1]Immigrant Fooden.wikipedia.org

  The Immigrant Food+ offshoot opened at the Planet Word museum on October 7.

• 2019

  Founding and first restaurant opening

  [1]Immigrant Fooden.wikipedia.org

  Immigrant Food was founded by Enrique Limardo, Téa Ivanovic, Peter Schechter, and Ezequiel Vázquez-Ger and opened its first location on November 12 at 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C.

• 2019

  DACA-related opening-day advocacy

  [1]Immigrant Fooden.wikipedia.org

  The brand marked its opening day with information about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals during the Supreme Court’s first arguments on the program.

A fast-casual, globally influenced restaurant brand that uses food, cultural storytelling, and community programming to support immigrant advocacy.

• Fast-casual restaurant food · 2019

  Globally influenced fusion menu

  Immigrant Food’s core offering is a fast-casual menu prepared by chef Enrique Limardo. It combines influences from China, El Salvador, Ethiopia, and other countries rather than representing one national cuisine. The menu is intended to express the movement and blending of immigrant food traditions in the United States.

• Side dishes

  Fries and casual sides

  Fries and other casual accompaniments form part of the restaurant’s fast-casual offer. Reference material specifically mentions fries in connection with the 2022 vaccine-themed brunch and its syringe-style ketchup dispenser.

• 2022Vaccine contributions brunch

  Washington, D.C.

  A themed brunch celebrated vaccines and the role of immigrants in vaccine development. The event used a syringe-shaped ketchup dispenser as part of its presentation.

  Outcome. A percentage of proceeds was donated to Mary’s Center, a nonprofit serving underserved communities in the Washington, D.C., and Maryland area.

  Source
• 2019Opening-day DACA advocacy

  Washington, D.C.

  At the restaurant’s opening, the brand shared information about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and used its proximity to the Supreme Court to connect the opening with a national immigration-policy debate.

  Outcome. The opening established the restaurant’s combination of food service and immigrant-focused civic engagement.

  Source
• 2019Engagement menu and gastroadvocacy

  Washington, D.C.

  Immigrant Food introduced an engagement menu that gives customers ways to support immigrant communities. The broader program includes nonprofit partnerships, donations, volunteer sign-ups, and use of the restaurant’s upstairs space for community activities.

  Outcome. The restaurant became a venue for immigrant-support organizations to hold meetings, English classes, job-search sessions, and citizenship classes.

  Source

• 2024

  Enter Arlington’s Ballston neighborhoodStrategy

  Background

  The brand continued its regional expansion beyond Washington, D.C.

  Action taken

  Immigrant Food opened a Ballston location in Arlington County, Virginia, on July 23.

  Aftermath

  The opening extended the restaurant’s operating presence into Northern Virginia.

  Source

• 2021

  Expand through food-hall and museum formatsStrategy

  Background

  After establishing its original Washington, D.C., restaurant, the brand pursued additional formats and sites.

  Action taken

  Immigrant Food opened a Union Market food stall and the Immigrant Food+ offshoot at Planet Word.

  Aftermath

  The brand broadened its local footprint and operated in both food-hall and museum settings.

  Source

• 2019

  Combine restaurant operations with immigrant advocacyStrategy

  Background

  The founders developed the restaurant in response to anti-immigrant sentiment and to highlight the role of immigrant communities in American food and culture.

  Action taken

  Immigrant Food opened as a fusion restaurant with an engagement menu, nonprofit partnerships, educational programming, and advocacy-related communications.

  Aftermath

  The hybrid restaurant-and-advocacy model remained central to the brand as it expanded to additional locations.

  Source

1. 1Immigrant Fooden.wikipedia.org