In 2010, the dream of Reem's was born at the doorstep of a street corner bakery in Beirut, Lebanon. The scent of za'atar, yeasted bread, and sweet orange blossom syrup right o...
Read moreIn 2010, the dream of Reem's was born at the doorstep of a street corner bakery in Beirut, Lebanon. The scent of za'atar, yeasted bread, and sweet orange blossom syrup right out of the oven and the sounds of laughter and chatter in Arabic all around me conjured up memories of my childhood and my yearning to create home and community in the United States.
It was in watching the bread flying out of the oven, literally into hungry people's hands, and witnessing the life inside those bakery doors despite the political turbulence outside of them that I realized my people are masters of bread and hospitality: the lifeline of our history and what has kept us resilient over many generations despite colonization, war, drought, and famine in the Arab world.
I decided to bring this experience to the Bay. I wanted to bring more than just a bakery. I wanted to recreate the sights, sounds, tastes and aromas of the streets of Damascus and Beirut, and at the same time a space that feels familiar and inviting to all cultures. I wanted to create a sense of home.