In 2012, Sabine Langer and Juan Viramontes struck up a lengthy conversation in a situation where many people would hardly be able to utter a word.

“I met her in Ventura (California),” he said. “She came to my running club for a long run and we had 22 miles to talk. We talked the whole time, we became friends on social media, and fast forward to 2017. She sent me a message and asked me if I’d be willing to relocate.”

Langer had a mission to do something for immigrants; that she chose to open Global Café was a bit of a stretch.

“I had zero background in the restaurant industry and even knew, from talking to people who knew about it, that it was a crazy thing to do,” she said. “And I don’t even cook. I mean, really, I don’t cook.”

But Viramontes had plenty of restaurant and bar experience. He listened to Langer’s idea, then left an upscale beachfront steak house and moved to Memphis.

“After I talked to her, I realized the importance of working with immigrants and I was in,” he said.

Sunday marks a year since the doors opened at Global Café, a three-stall restaurant in Crosstown Concourse that started out serving Nepalese, Sudanese and Syrian food. The cook from Nepal recently moved to Pennsylvania and now a Venezuelan cook is in her place. Each section has its own menu and glass-fronted area in a cafeteria line for taking orders, but the stalls share the main equipment and food.

“Everyone is in this together,” general manager Viramontes said. “I order food for everyone. If someone uses the last tomato, then everyone is out of tomatoes.”

Langer, who is from Switzerland and has lived in the U.S. for 22 years, the last five in Memphis, said she was inspired to take action in 2016.

“The political situation after the election made me want to do something,” she said. “I wanted to make a difference.”

She started spending time in the Binghampton neighborhood and met Ibtisam Salih, who was cooking at Caritas Village and who would end up being the first cook Langer selected to join Global Café.

Her story moved Langer. Salih has two degrees but was unable to put them to use here because of the language barrier. She and her family came here from Egypt after fleeing Sudan and Salih’s English is fragmented.

“Her husband was a journalist who got in trouble for speaking out for women’s rights, so they left,” Langer said. “Ibti was the first person I roped in.” 

Next Langer met Indra Sunuwar, originally from Nepal, at Kaleidoscope Kitchen in Binghampton and recruited her; she participated until she moved away two months ago.

Langer wanted three chefs, and she wanted to help someone from a troubled country. Syrian Fayha Sakkan fit the bill.

“Someone told her about me and told me about her," Sakkan said, "so I called her and told her we were having open mosque, and I invited her to come join me there. She did and then she asked me to come here. I’m really happy here.”

And she can stay as long as she wants.

“We are not an incubator,” Viramontes said. “That’s the million-dollar question, the thing everyone wants to know. If someone leaves, we’ll fill the stall, but we’re not going to kick anyone out.”

When Sunuwar said she was moving, Langer wanted to fill the booth right away.

“So I went back to thinking about what country was really in uproar, and of course I thought of Venezuela,” she said.

Enter Francisco Leon, nicknamed Pancho. He’s serving empanadas, arepas and pabellon plates next to Sakkan’s spinach pies and Salih’s falafel, big fluffy patties unlike any other falafel in town; they’re excellent.

The menus at each stall are smallish, about a dozen items including a dessert (try Salih’s chocolate basta), and every day Salih offers a soup that comes with stuffed cheese bread and is invariably delicious and filling for less than $8.

You grab a tray and line up for your food. Order a bite from each stall or stay with one. Whatever you decide, you pay at the bar, where you can order a glass of freshly made hibiscus tea, a beer, glass of wine or a cocktail. There’s a full bar, but each country is honored, too: There’s Syrian Sangria, a Sudanese Sundance, and the Venezuelan cocktail, Venezuela de Noche.

Saturday’s anniversary celebration will include drink specials (99 cents for hibiscus tea or a Paloma for those 21 and older) and belly dancing at 3:30 p.m. The party and specials go through Sunday.

New dishes will go on the menu at the Syrian and Sudanese booths this weekend, too.

Sakkan will start serving fasoliyyeh, a green bean and beef stew served with rice and pita. And Salih will offer a new plate called Blue Nile River. It’s shredded chicken, a fried pita bowl filled with seasoned white beans, and a salad with cumin and lime dressing.

“You would not believe this dressing,” Viramontes said. “Cumin and lime are like best friends, they get along so well together.”

Expect something new at the Venezuelan counter after Leon has a little more time to get his bearings.

The menus will begin rotating, Viramontes said. “We’ll change some things seasonally, maybe quarterly or maybe even monthly.” 

The chefs and Viramontes are in it together, he said.

“It’s three different counters, but it’s one big team. The main chefs are all guaranteed their money no matter how much they sell, and everyone helps everyone. If someone isn’t busy, they’ll jump in and help someone who is.”

To Sakkan, it’s even more than that.

“We work like one hand,” she said. “With the other chefs, with Ms. Sabine and Mr. Juan, we are one family, and being here makes me happy every day. I’ve lived here since 1992 and when I started working here at Crosstown, it was like being somewhere else. I asked my husband, ‘Are we still in Memphis?’”