Bangkok diners can fill a belly and their hearts by supporting refugees at an event where a Hmong Vietnamese family will take over the kitchen.

Na Cafe, a sustainability-themed spot in the Nang Loeng area, next week will host the first edition of Urban Refugee Kitchen, where a group of Hmong Vietnamese refugees will collaborate with Megan Leon, Mexican-American cook-slash-food writer on  a fun fusion of flavors.

The April 7 event is priced at B1,600 per person, and reservations can be booked online. The proceeds will go to help the family. More editions of the Urban Refugee Kitchen are to be expected in the future. 

Opened in 2019 inside a 120-year-old house, Na Cafe is modeled as a “creative social impact” space, where drinks and food are served under a zero-waste mandate and workshops and training are offered to at-risk youth and displaced people. During the pandemic when Na Cafe was closed, it offered dishes made by refugees and delivered them every Friday.

Thailand does not recognize the refugee status of asylum seekers and treats them as illegal migrants. As of last month, there were more than 91,000 refugees in the country, according to the UNHCR. Roughly 5,000 representing 40 nationalities are living in Bangkok and its metropolitan area. 

Na Cafe at Bangkok 1899 is located on Nakhon Sawan Road near the old quarter.