Mango House
“How can you use your expertise in innovative ways of serving others?”
Mango House is a sacred place. Mango House is the largest shared space for refugee services in Colorado. But the invitation is not to visit Mango House to make a donation. Mango House is not a nonprofit organization. The invitation is to visit the international food hall at Mango House with award-winning cuisine and encounter families who are building a business.
At the core of the Mango House model is Ardas medical clinic founded by Dr. P.J. Parmar. He moved his medical practice to East Colfax in 2014 to serve the refugee community. The name “Mango House” is in reference to the fruit grown in many of the countries the refugees are from originally. In 2019 P.J. purchased a former J.C. Penny building on East Colfax and expanded Mango House to include a pharmacy, retail shops, event spaces, and an international food hall. The restaurants of the food hall are all owned and operated by refugee and immigrant families.
Seven restaurants make up the international food hall including: Burmese, Syrian, Pan-Asian, Ethiopian, Kenyan, and Nepali cuisine. It is a place not only to enjoy new foods but a place to experience new cultures. The food hall is not a typical mall food court. Each restaurant is a unique opportunity to know more about a family and their home country through their cuisine.
The restaurants at Mango House are subsidized by the operations of the medical clinic and the space is leased below market rate until established. The food stalls provide important economic viability for families who are often operating a business for the first time. Eating at Mango House is a tangible way to support the refugee community in our city beyond nonprofit organizations.
Mango House and Dr. P.J. have been featured at TEDx, Rocky Mountain PBS, and the subject of a recent full-length documentary film. Each shares the story of his passion to respond to the needs of the refugee community in our city. His innovations in health care, business, and community led him to create Mango House. It is a unique place operated by and for the refugee community. Mango House is a sacred place.
To view the documentary film MANGO HOUSE online, please email Jared for a password provided graciously by the film director, Ross Taylor.
