Seven years ago, Tihomir left his home country and was on his way to Chicago to continue his culinary education.  Along the way, he decided to stop and visit a friend in Charlotte.  He immediately fell in love with the town, particularly the trees and the friendly people, and, as the saying goes, the rest is history. 

"Charlotte is a modern town, but with a country style", he explains.   "People, they say, 'Hi. How are you.'  And they smile.  Everywhere you go."  

When you ask Tihomir  why he wanted to come to America in the first place, his eyes light up and he laughs.   "The food channel!  I watched cooking shows all the time and those schools on TV were amazing.  I wanted to come to culinary schools in the U.S. and be the master!"

Armed with his passion for cooking, Tihomir  started working as a cook at a local restaurant.   The work was good but almost immediately he dreamed of something more.  "I used to drink coffee with friends and tell them, 'Someday I will have a restaurant here.  I'm going to have a place here.'  I felt it."

His dream of owning his own place, however, was nearly derailed before it could get started.   In 2010 Tihomir  found himself needing to apply for permanent residence status but with very little time to get all the paperwork assembled and approved. 

Youth from Peru and Colombia, September 5-17:
International House will be hosting an international delegation of nine Youth Leaders from Peru and Colombia.  We are looking for home hosts to welcome these young leaders into their homes. Their program will focus on youth leadership, civic engagement, diversity, and environmental leadership.

Georgia, September 19-27:
We will also be hosting six adult Georgian disability rights advocates. They will visit Charlotte to learn about disability access and disability rights in the United States. 

Zambia and Zimbabwe, October 11th - November 2nd:
We are delighted to be hosting a group of six esteemed delegates from Zambia and Zambia through the Professional Fellows Program.  

If you are interested in hosting one or more of these visitors during their stay in Charlotte, please contact our office at 704-342-2248 Ext 121 or jcauswell@ihclt.org.   Thank You!