The Green Mango Cafe & Bakery in Battambang, Cambodia

As promised, it’s time to share about the great things happening in Cambodia that I was able to see this past June and July when I visited.  (Click here to see the previous posts from my trip, in succession.)

The Center for Global Impact has a fantastic thing going on in the city of Battambang in northern Cambodia.  Their website describes it well, so I’ll quote them here: “The Culinary Training Center (CTC) is the largest project undertaken by CGI to date. Students are enrolled in a two-year training program that will prepare them to enter into the most distinguished kitchens in Cambodia. The CTC plays a significant role in establishing a successful strategy for developing future employment opportunities for orphans, at-risk, and formerly trafficked women .”

My friends, Katy and Alan, and I were able to spend a few days in Battambang seeing The Green Mango Cafe & Bakery in action.  It was so fun to hang out with the head chef and teacher, Ryana, and get to know the girls in the school a bit. During those days, we ate a lot and I had a fun adventure at the market and on a bamboo train that I’ll post about in the future.  The food was SO delicious and the atmosphere was very comfortable.  It was fun to see how much business they were getting after the few short months they had been open.  Check out their website here.

I hope you enjoy a look at this great project that is providing work for some wonderful young women in Cambodia!  Oh, and since you probably can’t stop by for a food sampling anytime soon, please check out the Green Mango Cafe & Bakery Cookbook available for purchase here.  You won’t regret it!

The food there is seriously delicious. I’m still craving the pickles and sauce (bottom left photo).  You really should go buy their cookbook (see link above).  🙂

They had a big group that day!

Chef and teacher, Ryana, does a great job keeping things running smoothly.

The girls are able to build relationships with each other and volunteers. Through the school, they also have life skills and English classes, culinary teaching, and devotional times with mentors.

They sell byTavi items there, another project of The Center for Global Impact.

Place-mats out to dry.

This makes you want to go buy the cookbook now, doesn’t it?

The tuktuk is a moving advertisement for them. It goes to the market at least once a day! Stay tuned for a blog post about the sights, sounds, and smells of a Cambodian market. 🙂