While working as a disability rights and inclusion technical advisor in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tina L. Singleton planted a vegetable garden behind the high walls and razor wire of her compound. Cooking for friends using produce from the garden turned into a pop-up, bringing together Afghans and foreign nationals from across the globe. The simple act of sharing a meal in the homes of Afghans broke dow
n any barriers there could have been between a Black American woman and Afghan Muslims. A free slice of chocolate cake after every meal from a popular Lebanese restaurant owner, Kamal Hamade, exemplified the power of food against hate. Sadly, Kamal was killed in a terrorist attack on his restaurant, along with 21 patrons and staff, on January 17, 2014. Transformation Table honors Kamal at every meal. In April 2016, Tina moved to Charleston, a year after the June 17, 2015, mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church, where a white supremacist killed nine parishioners with the intent of starting a race war. During an event at the Gaillard Center commemorating the tragedy, Dr. Bernice A. King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., challenged the Charleston community: to fight hate by making meaningful efforts to really understand and love one another despite all sorts of would-be dividing factors. She said if Charleston was serious about change, we needed to “get intimate. “Go to each other’s homes. Have dinner!”
Transformation Table is the response to that challenge. Transformation Table began in November 2016 at the home of Ashley and Kendrick. Over a Vietnamese meal comprised of family recipes prepared by Vietnamese chef Janice Nguyen Hudgins, Tish, Peter, Shirley, Kevin, and Liz arrived as strangers and left with shared stories, lots of laughs and a belly full of great food. Since the first dinner, Transformation Table has hosted in-home dinners and community events in the Lowcountry with over 500 community members, featuring the cuisine and food stories of global chefs from 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Iraq, Peru and The Philippines. Transformation Table has been featured in various publications, including Charleston Magazine, Edible Charleston, Organic Life, Tableux and The Post & Courier.
