Feast Collective

Board of Directors & Lead Staff

Yalda Mohmand, Board

Yalda is a Chef Partner at Feast World Kitchen, and is enrolled at Eastern Washington University working toward a career in healthcare service administration. A former refugee from Afghanistan herself, Yalda enjoys spending time with family and friends, and is often engaged in helping newly arriving Afghan families get settled in Spokane.

Ibrahim Mohamed, Board

Originally from Darfur State in western Sudan, Ibrahim has been in Spokane since 2013. He has been married to his wife Zenab since 1996, and is the proud father of seven children. In addition to cooking savory foods, Ibrahim is a confectioner, specializing in brittle and bark desserts and candies. He enjoys reading.

Patricia Castañeda, Board

Patricia, originally from Venezuela, is a strong leader alongside immigrant communities in Spokane. Aside from her work as a chef partner and board member at Feast, she has also served as a leader within World Relief Spokane, Manzanita House, Latinas en Spokane, Centro de Orientacion Familiar, and Mujeres in Action. She is now Executive Director of Manzanita House. Pat lives with her two teenage daughters.

Ross Carper, Co-Executive Director

Ross has worked to build community in Spokane’s lower south hill neighborhood for the past decade, including work with First Presbyterian Church organizing teams that welcome refugee families. He also owned a food truck in the neighborhood, and eventually combined these passions to co-found Feast World Kitchen with several other neighbors. Ross lives with his wife Autumn and their three daughters.

laura vickers, board

Laura has worked at Avista for over 22 years, currently serving as Director of Culture, Diversity and People Services. A former refugee herself originally from Vietnam, she is passionate about building a more inclusive community and helping young women and under-represented individuals build confidence to be effective advocates for themselves. She lives in Spokane with her husband Andy.

Matthew Goldbloom, Board

Matt holds a Masters’ Degree in Nonprofit Management from Gonzaga University. He works in insurance, and spends his time raising six kids with his wife Lauren just up the hill. He’s a co-leader of The Common Well, a house church rethinking how faith communities are rooted in neighborhoods and networks of friendships.

Luke Baumgarten, Board

Luke is a nonprofit leader, journalist, and organizer in Spokane. Formerly Arts & Culture Editor of The Inlander and co-founder of Terrain, Luke is a founding board member of Feast Collective, creator of local media company Range, and co-founder of Spokane Worker’s Cooperative. Luke lives with his wife Ginger Ewing and their pugs.

Maisa Abudayha, Co-Executive Director

Maisa is originally from Jordan, and leads dozens of former refugee and immigrant Chef Partners. Maisa was a co-founder of this work alongside Feast’s original board. She has also worked as a teacher and interpreter within Spokane Public Schools. She and her husband Mohammad recently bought a home, where they are raising their four children.

Tom Okura, Operations Manager

A former coffee shop manager, you’ll find Tom at Feast always helping chef partner families, staff, and volunteers provide a great experience for our customers — all while learning and having fun together! Tom has a degree in trombone performance, and he has played in all sorts of musical ensembles, from ska bands to orchestras. He loves spending time at home with his wife Maddie and their cat.

Pingala Dhital, Board

Pingala, originally from Bhutan, is a strong advocate alongside former refugees in Spokane. She is a staff member at Refugee Connections and the founder of the Mahima Project, a network that uplifts former refugee women. Her hobbies include creative cooking (sometimes at Feast!), listening to music, traveling with family, and meeting friends.

Sue Reidt, Board

During the day you can find Sue in the halls of Spokane First Presbyterian Church where her work is to greet newcomers and help connect them to the church’s community and neighborhood. Sue’s favorite things include eating delicious food, hot summer days, traveling, time with family, and walks with her four legged buddy, Oskar.

Sajda Nelson, Board

Sajda is raising two young boys with her husband Chad. A founding Feast board member, and currently transitioning into a catering and events manager role, she has a wealth of experience working with former refugees in Spokane in her previous role with World Relief and her current role with Thrive International. She has lived experience having fled Iraq as a refugee earlier in her life.

Mirak Kazanjian, Chef program associate

As we work to help food entrepreneurs grow as small business owners, it’s handy to have the owner of Spokane’s #1 most popular food truck on our staff! Mirak owns Skewers food truck, where he has made Middle Eastern Street Food available at your favorite events in Spokane! He’s positive, generous, and passionate about sharing his Armenian culture and helping others succeed.