Sabine’s Why: Helping Others
ICIC Programs: Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC), two-time IC100 Award Winner
Motivated by her experiences working with immigrant communities, Sabine Langer founded Global Café–an IC100 award-winning Memphis eatery that empowers refugees and immigrants through employment and training, creating a vibrant space where guests experience international cuisine and cultural connections while supporting community resettlement.
In the heart of midtown Memphis lies the historic Crosstown community. Once widely known for its 1.5 million-square-foot Sears shopping and distribution center, the space is now a hub of artistic, health, academic, and cultural activity. The structural giant, aptly named Crosstown Concourse, contains apartments, medical offices, a YMCA, educational entities, performance venues, and a variety of restaurants and bars. The eclectic nature of the project makes it the perfect home for the mission-driven eatery, Global Café.
Founded in 2018, Global Café is a food hall that offers authentic, affordably priced international cuisine cooked fresh and from scratch by immigrant and refugee food entrepreneurs. The restaurant was launched by Sabine Langer, whose love for exploring the world drove her to travel from Switzerland to the U.S. The challenges she faced in becoming a dual citizen, paired with her experiences volunteering in neighborhoods with high concentrations of immigrants, led to the idea of creating this unique business.
Nourishing Communities, Empowering Lives
From its origins, Global Café was designed as a harbor where vulnerable members of society could establish themselves while adapting to a new country. Sabine noticed that many refugees were using their cooking skills to supplement their income. They often shared their dreams of owning a restaurant with her. Despite having no interest in cooking or becoming a chef, herself, she used her business strengths and developed a restaurant model to benefit the Memphis refugee and immigrant community.
The company requests a minimum commitment of one year and requires no prior experience, offers free English lessons, and often pays higher wages than other businesses where the employees have worked. These earnings have helped the staff achieve significant milestones for resettlement, such as buying a home or a personal vehicle.
A Bridge Between Cultures
In 2023, Sabine was honored to be included on the Inner City 100 Awards list. The win came just two years after Sabine graduated from ICIC’s Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) program. Sabine says, “The ICCC program was incredibly helpful. I learned how to create an overview of where the company is, where we should be, and what we should think about long term. ”
“The ICCC program was incredibly helpful. I learned how to create an overview of where the company is, where we should be, and what we should think about long term.”
With community engagement at the core of the company’s ethos, Global Café has provided employment and training to refugees and immigrants from many countries around the world, including Bhutan, Burundi, Colombia, Cuba, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland, Jamaica, Korea, Mexico, Nepal, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Switzerland, Ukraine, the U.S., and Venezuela. The café embodies the heart of Crosstown Concourse and serves as a gathering place for guests from all walks of life to have an international experience through food. Global Café is more than a place to eat; it is a bridge between cultures and a safe space on the path to resettlement.