MEYMUNA HUSSEIN-CATTAN
Founder & CEO
Tiyya Foundation & Flavors from Afar
Born in an Ethiopian refugee camp in Somalia, Meymuna Hussein-Cattan relocated to the US when she was three. She turned her early life challenges into a force for change, becoming a grassroots community organizer in California. In 2010, she and her mother started Tiyya Foundation, a nonprofit providing critical resources to refugees, immigrants and low-income immigrants in LA and Orange County, helping them find housing, livable wages and connections to their new community.
Six years ago, Hussein-Cattan founded Flavors From Afar, a refugee-run social enterprise restaurant. This venture aims to transcend barriers through food, sharing the culinary traditions, cultures and stories of refugees and asylum seekers with Los Angeles. Each month, Flavors partners with the foundation to feature a different refugee or asylum seeker, who creates an authentic menu of traditional cultural dishes. These chefs gain valuable work experience and receive a portion of the sales for the month.
