A community bake sale bringing together more than two dozen Denver-area food businesses will return to Edgewater this month, with proceeds supporting food access and immigrant rights.
The second annual Cooking for Culture community bake sale takes place August 23 at Joyride Brewing, where more than 25 local food vendors, bakeries and restaurants will donate baked goods and other treats. The event begins at 10 a.m. and runs until the goods sell out.
All of the proceeds will go to two Denver nonprofits: Kaizen Food Rescue, which works to expand access to nutritious, culturally familiar food, and the Rocky Mountain Immigration Advocacy Network (RMIAN), which provides free immigration legal and social services to children and adults in detention.
Cooking for Culture debuted in 2025, raising more than $8,600 for the two organizations. This year’s event comes as both groups face growing demand for their services.
“The need has never been greater,” says Thai Nguyen, founder and executive director of Kaizen Food Rescue. “As food donations decline and economic uncertainty grows, thousands of Colorado families are relying on community-driven solutions to put food on the table.”
Last year alone, Kaizen distributed more than 18.4 million pounds of food—equal to roughly 15.3 million meals—to communities across Colorado. The organization served more than 35,000 households and reached more than 141,000 individuals through 271 food-share events.
It also advanced food sovereignty by sharing 28,800 seedlings and 2,000 seed packets, offering 13 community workshops and hosting 60 meetings aimed at developing and implementing equitable policy and community-led solutions. The organization was supported by 19 community partners and 1,836 volunteers contributing an estimated $638,400 in in-kind hours.
“Supporting Kaizen means investing in dignity, local food systems and neighbors helping neighbors,” says Nguyen. Together, we can ensure that every family, regardless of where they come from or what language they speak, has access to nutritious, culturally familiar food and the opportunity to thrive.”
The Rocky Mountain Immigration Advocacy Network, meanwhile, provides free legal representation and social support to immigrants navigating the legal system, including children, asylum seekers, survivors of trafficking and other crimes, as well as people held in civil immigration detention.
“Community support and a deep recognition of the incredible contributions of immigrant community members drive our work,” says Mekela Goehring, executive director of Rocky Mountain Immigration Advocacy Network. “[Our] team works every day to provide free legal representation and social support for children who otherwise would be forced to navigate a complex and adversarial court system entirely on their own. RMIAN also provides free legal representation to individuals in civil immigration detention. Our clients include long-standing community members, beloved family members, asylum seekers, survivors of trafficking and other crimes, young adults and elders—all of whom have been imprisoned solely because of a civil immigration infraction. Thank you for supporting RMIAN’s work for equal access to justice.”
The food lineup includes familiar Denver names such as Blackbelly Market & Restaurant, Convivio Café, Daughter Thai Kitchen & Bar, Insee Noodle House, Leven Deli & Co., Molino Chido, Olive & Finch, Rioja, Root Down, Santo, Ultreia and Yuan Wonton, along with a range of independent bakeries and food makers.
The bake sale will also include a table hosted by Trần Nguyễn-Wills, a Denver City Council District 2 candidate, daughter of Vietnamese refugees and community outreach worker for the City of Denver. She will distribute Know Your Rights kits for immigrant and refugee neighbors.
For Patricia Kaowthumrong, who co-founded Cooking for Culture with Chea Franz, the event is about bringing people together through food while supporting organizations working in the community. Both women are daughters of Thai, Chinese and Taiwanese immigrants and work in Denver’s media and culinary communities.
“Some of my favorite memories are tied to food and the people I shared it with,” says Kaowthumrong. “That’s what Cooking for Culture is really about—celebrating the recipes, traditions and cultures that shape who we are while giving back to organizations that support immigrant and refugee communities.
The event takes place at Joyride Brewing, 2501 Sheridan Blvd. in Edgewater, just blocks from Denver’s Northside, a neighborhood with a long history of welcoming immigrant communities. Organizers say that history of resilience and community power continues to anchor the spirit of the bake sale today.
“We hope everyone who comes to the bake sale leaves with something delicious and a reminder that our community is stronger because of the many cultures that make it what it is,” says Kaowthumrong.
If you go
Cooking for Culture community bake sale: Sunday, August 23, beginning at 10 a.m. at Joyride Brewing, 2501 Sheridan Blvd., Edgewater. The event continues until the donated goods sell out. Proceeds benefit Kaizen Food Rescue and RMIAN.
