Through Dream Cuisines, a cohort of newcomer women gain access to mentorship, kitchen space, and peer-based knowledge sharing as they build up their burgeoning food businesses and launch them into the mainstream.
From Mother’s Land to Mother’s Table: Business Launch 2026
Our annual event live! Join us for our Food Business Launch 2026: From Mother’s Land to Mother’s Table, an evening celebrating the journeys, cultures, and food businesses of five incredible mothers in this year’s Dream Cuisines cohort that we are launching into the community at the event.
Enjoy delicious traditional food and inspiring stories, as these women bring generations of tradition, care, and resilience to the table. Come support local newcomer immigrant women entrepreneurs, connect with the community, and experience a beautiful evening of food and storytelling.
Be part of this special celebration and enjoy traditional cultural dishes at our diverse food market, featuring the businesses of this year’s five unstoppable mamas:
Dough Re Mi by Shellica Lai (Hong Kong-inspired mochi desserts)
Happy Bites by Veronica Uribe (Colombian-inspired baked goods)
Lasarte Bake Shop by Caro Lasarte (Argentinian desserts)
Levant Gourmet by Reham Zarzour (Syrian pastries and rolls)
Tanga Spice Kitchen by Amina Kihange (Tanzanian speciality dishes)
Grab tickets (by donation) and find out the full details below!
Welcome Dream Cuisines 2026
Flavours of Hope is proud to welcome the 2026 cohort into the Dream Cuisines Program. This group of newcomer women entrepreneurs is building food businesses with skill, heart, and community behind them. This year, we are honoured to introduce:
Amina Kihange, Tanga Spice Kitchen
Amina is the founder of Tanga Spice Kitchen, a business that blends professional culinary skill with the rich food traditions of Tanzania. Amina’s cooking is her way of honouring her roots while introducing her community to the bold, aromatic flavours that define home for her. Her signature dish, pilau, is a fragrant spiced rice dish made with beef or lamb, potatoes, and warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and cumin.
Caro Lasarte, Lasarte Bake Shop
Caro is a professionally trained chef who studied and worked in Spain, Uruguay, and Argentina. She’s currently pursuing a teaching degree in pastry, with the hope of sharing not just the wisdom and expertise she’s gained over the past years, but also the joy that comes with being in the kitchen. Caro’s work is a legacy of "artisanal love," recreating the joy and warmth of a grandparent's home.
Reham Zarzour, Levant Gourmet
Deeply rooted in the culinary traditions of her family, Reham focuses on the authentic flavours of Syria through dishes like ouzi and musakhan rolls. Beyond representing traditional dishes, Levant Gourmet is all about uplifting and refreshing flavours that bring people together. Reham is thrilled to share the connecting power of Syrian cuisine alongside her mother, who is a Dream Cuisines alumna and fellow food business owner.
Shellica Lai, Dough Re Mi
Shellica is a self-taught baker who previously ran a dessert business in Hong Kong. Her recipes are inspired by childhood nostalgia, specifically familiar East Asian snacks like Ovaltine chocolate and White Rabbit candy. Through her creations, she hopes to provide her customers a "small escape" from daily stress, bringing playfulness to everyday life.
Veronica Uribe, Happy Bites
Vero was a business administrator who found a new calling in baking after moving to Canada. Through her cooking, she brings the warmth of a Colombian breakfast table and the comfort of family gatherings to her customers, sharing a side of Latin cuisine that is rich in tradition yet often overlooked beside more widely known flavours.
New This Year: Sous Chef Companions
Sous Chef Companions are a 1:1 mentorship element within the Dream Cuisines Food Business Program. These paid peer mentors are alumni who work closely with participants, offering guidance, accountability, and real-world insight throughout the program.
Our Sous Chef Companions this year are: Rana Alkari of Damaskino Pastry, María Yvett Cueto of Dulce Zaza, Angeles Canedo of Mis Cazuelas, Rocio Valderas of Ruka Cocina, and Vinaya Waghmode of Elaichi Patisserie.
Together with industry mentors, they will support participants build and grow sustainable food businesses.
2025 Impact Report
This year, we focus on five areas of impact: entrepreneurial competency, financial capacity, reciprocal support systems, cultural rootedness and integration into Canadian society, and autonomy. We’ve had the honour to witness our women cohort draw up their dreams and cook it into reality, as they grow through challenges and celebrate their wins - big and small, together.
“I think the program is very complete compared to others, especially because it takes you all the way to the markets, which is one of the most challenging parts for those of us who are just starting out - and that’s a great source of support.”
Watch 'Flavours of Hope: Nourishing Community, Cultivating Change' Documentary Film on CBC!
about the program
Dream Cuisines is empowering & equipping newcomer women entrepreneurs to make a living by doing what they excel at: cooking and sharing food! This 8-month immersive program addresses systemic barriers in the food industry, providing women with access to educational workshops, peer knowledge sharing, commissary kitchen space, sales channels, and a network of supportive relationships.
program tenets
Care and reciprocity
We prioritize the work of nurturance, care, and emotional support in programming, creating platforms for reciprocal relationships and meaningful connections between women, mentors, and other small business owners, so women’s businesses are bolstered by community and sustained for the road ahead.
Anti-racist & feminist framework
Built and led by women of colour, Dream Cuisines centres the voices and wisdom of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) in building, leading and facilitating programming. We work to combat systemic racism and oppression as we seek increased access and equity, with relationships at the centre of the work.
Heart & body centred
We emphasize a decolonial approach by integrating embodiment through breaths, pause, and paying attention to our bodily needs. Recognizing that women’s well-being is affected by multiple factors, we seek to provide holistic support and build trust—nurturing not just a business, but the whole person.
Prioritizing peer knowledge
We move away from traditional charity and service-provision models, and instead towards equipping women in their strengths. We notice and work to equalize power dynamics, seeking women’s self-determination in decision-making.
Collaboration and adaptation
In creating a program amidst an ever-evolving food landscape, we found imaginative ways to meet women’s need for flexible work and economic provision for their families.
Dream Cuisines is proudly supported by:
