Taste of Freedom

About the Book

“Taste of Freedom: Recipes for Resilience” is not only a cookbook. It is a testimony to the power of the human spirit. Since 2014, Shandra Woworuntu, Founder of the Mentari Human Trafficking Survivor Empowerment Program, has drawn inspiration and purpose from the art of cooking and baking. For years, Mentari Culinary Arts Program has provided a gateway to self-sufficiency, and a path to re-integration for newly-exited survivors of all forms of human trafficking. Mentari Program’s survivor graduates, and the allies who support Mentari, hail from diverse cultural backgrounds and share their treasured family recipes in this collection. The Mentari Program has become a network and community where survivors find self-empowerment and support. In Taste of Freedom, you will find delightful and tempting dishes you can prepare and enjoy in your home kitchen. Featured recipes include Peruvian Seafood Ceviche, Barley Green Pea Salad, Hiroshi Zaru Soba, Korean Tofu Kimchi, Jamaican Escovitch Fish, Locrio de Pollo dominicano, Old English Date-Coconut Pie, and African Ginger Pineapple Drink. Heartwarming stories and inspiring quotes from our contributors grace the pages of this cookbook – it’s nourishing to both body and spirit. Photographs taken during culinary classes evoke joy and hope. One hundred percent of the proceeds from Taste of Freedom go directly to Mentari to continue the programs to help and support economic empowerment Program.

About the Author

Shandra Woworuntu is the founder of Mentari, an organization to empower trafficking survivors to reintegrate into society independently through D.R.E.A.M.—direct services, resources, empowerment, advocacy, and mentorship. She is a survivor of human trafficking and domestic violence and has dedicated her life to raising awareness and to mentor and empower survivors. In 2015, Shandra was appointed by President Barack Obama to be a member of the first US Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. She was a 2017 national honoree of L’Oréal Paris’ annual philanthropic program, Women of Worth, for her outstanding leadership and her tireless work to create positive changes in her community through Mentari. Often you will find her working as a volunteer to help survivors. Points of Light awarded her with the Daily Points of Light Award created by US President George H. W. Bush. She recently received recognition as the 2020 Power of Diversity 100—the most Asian American in Politics and Policy in the State and City of New York.