Refugee Chef Serving Up Afghan Cuisine for Tysons Pop-Up Event

A refugee chef is planning to serve up traditional Afghan cuisine at Harth as part of a pop-up event series later this month in Tysons.

Hilton McLean Tysons Corner (7920 Jones Branch Drive) teamed up with Tables Without Borders on the limited dinner series featuring dishes by Chef Nejat Ahmadollah, which diners can experience with the tasting menu or a la carte, the Hilton press release said.

Some of the menu items will include:

• Kabuli — braised rice with lamb topped with raisins and slivered carrots
• Kadoo — baked pumpkin with yogurt sauce, garlic and mint
• Chicken kabob with an Afghan spice blend and cilantro chutney

Ahmadollah, an asylum-seeker from Afghanistan, came to the U.S. with his wife and kids in 2015.

“I’m looking forward to sharing my passion and love for cooking and Afghan cuisine with guests at Hilton McLean,” Ahmadollah said in a press release.

To prepare for the pop-up event, Ahmadollah plans to work with Harth’s Executive Chef Philip Thompson to create a menu that will focus on locally-sourced and traditional Afghan ingredients, the press release said.

Hilton is promoting the event as part of its “Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals” — the hotel chain’s strategy of encouraging sustainable, global travel.

“By 2030, we plan to double our social impact investment and cut our environmental footprint by half,” the press release said. “We track, analyze and report our environmental and social impact at each of Hilton’s nearly 5,900 hotels.”

The dinners will take place from 5-10 p.m. on three Fridays — Oct. 18, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1.

Part of the proceeds from the dinners will benefit HIAS, a nonprofit focused on refugee resettlement and advocacy.

“Tables Without Borders enables me to showcase authentic dishes representative of my country’s history and timeless traditions while adding a modern twist,” Ahmadollah said.

Photo courtesy Hilton McLean Tysons Corner