In 2017, two Syrian sisters arrived in America with their young families to settle in the Chicago area.
Like so many other asylum seekers who fled their home countries, they saw firsthand the atrocity of war: indescribable precision bombings, crimes against humanity, and unfathomable violence. They had lost the ability to live peacefully and freely. They escaped.
Once settled here, they cooked the foods they knew from their mama’s kitchen. Yet, to feed people and begin to produce an income, there was much to learn, starting with our health codes. That was where I came in. The idea of a refugee catering business started to unfold.
Translated, the Arabic writing means “everyone is welcome here.”
And it grew by word-of-mouth that theirs was a feast where guests could graze on a massive spread of the Syrian sisters’ home cooking.
Today’s world requires courage. The act of Am Shalom synagogue welcoming these two families and the dozens of volunteers who stepped forward to ease their transition, coupled with help from Chicago’s culinary community, a business in America was born.
