BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The Harvest Bakery & Cafe has taken the initiative of helping immigrants and refugees adjust to America by giving them a secure job at their restaurant.

What You Need To Know

  • The Harvest Bakery & Café is in downtown Bowling Green on 729 Chestnut Street

  • It’s open Tuesday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

  • The bakery serves a multitude of homemade pastries, coffees and lunches such as homemade pizza

  • It serves as a secure place for immigrants and refugees to get a job and join the community

It is no secret that this bakery is known for its well-served homemade muffins, cookies, bread, even homemade pizzas, which is served along with a salad that is doused their homemade dressing. 

However, co-owner Kimberly Page wanted to go the extra mile. Not only did she set up a local nonprofit for Bowling Green Residents to enjoy, she also made it a secure place for immigrants and refugees to get a job. 

“It’s just a way to help them settle, have a better fair wage, to be able to work in a place that shows grace and patience and just a place to be able to acclimate a little easier,” Page said.

Page hired two employees outside the United States. Nagat Aziz, a Bowling Green resident who is originally from Egypt, has been working as a baking apprentice at the bakery for around 5 months.

“I love it here,”  Aziz said. “I get a lot of experience working here. Like, baking sourdough, cookies. This is the first time I’ve worked in a restaurant.”

Page said her wanting to help came from a real world incident when she was overseas. Page sad the language barrier had made it difficult to find where to go as well as to secure employment.

“We lived in China for several years and we lived in Thailand,” Page said. “So we knew personally what it was like to go to a country where we didn’t know the language.” 

So when she opened up her bakery and café, she wanted to help the people who felt similar to herself while she was overseas. As a result, she teamed up with Refuge Bowling Green, a nonprofit that helps refugees and immigrants get acclimated to the U.S., and was able to hire Aziz and another employee from Cuba through a job fair. 

“Our slogan is: Changing lives, one loaf at a time,” Page said. “It’s just one of those things you would want people to do for you, trying to find your own way, or for your children, right? For people that you care about. 

As her bakery grows, she will continue to hire new employees who from outside of America.

The Harvest Bakery is open from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday and is located on 729 Chestnut Street.