Savouring Sisterhood

Maha El Ahmed is making falafels, a popular street food in Syrian culture. Falafels are small patties or balls made with a rich mix of ground chickpeas, herbs like parsley and cilantro and spices like cumin and coriander. Falafels are then deep-fried or baked until they turn golden brown.

Maha El Ahmed is Kurdish. She came to Canada in 2018 with her family and has been a chef at Tayybeh for the past two years. She is prepping tabbouleh salad, a traditional Middle Eastern herb salad made with freshly chopped parsley, tomatoes and cucumbers tossed with lemon juice, olive oil and spices.

Maha El Ahmed is Kurdish. She came to Canada in 2018 with her family and has been a chef at Tayybeh for the past two years. She is prepping parsley to make tabbouleh salad, a traditional Middle Eastern herb salad made with freshly chopped parsley, tomatoes and cucumbers tossed with lemon juice, olive oil and spices.

Ahmed is one of the 20 women who work at Tayybeh, a full-service caterer featuring Syrian and Middle Eastern cuisines and flavors.

Their cuisines range from chicken shawarma wraps and assorted vegetarian wrap platters to crispy cauliflower and chickpea salad.

Tayybeh will soon open its first storefront in the Kitsilano neighborhood, amidst the upscale eateries, scenic beaches and quirky shops of Vancouver.

Tayybeh’s mission is to employ and empower refugee and newcomer women from Syria and the Middle East.

Tayybeh is an Arabic word that means “kind” and “delicious.”

“We are a group of women who are very kind, very generous, very giving, very resilient and who make delicious food so Tayybeh seemed like the best word to reflect that,” says Nihal Elwan, who started Tayybeh about seven years ago.

Since 2011, amidst the Arab Spring that sparked the Syrian civil war, millions of Syrians have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in neighboring countries of Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt.

In 2015, the ongoing conflict in Syria escalated, leaving many families without a home. During this time, Canada began “Operation Syrian Refugees” and worked with local and international partners and NGOs to welcome nearly 45,000 Syrian refugees.

Elwan, who herself immigrated to Canada in 2014, was volunteering at the time with a local organization that supported newly arrived families from Syria. Struck by the sheer shock and devastation that these families faced, Elwan wanted to help them.

Nihal Elwan explains why she chose to focus on Syrian women.

What started as a pop-up dinner to demonstrate the culinary talents of Syria quickly turned into a food venture — Tayybeh — that offers rich, diverse and flavourful Syrian cuisines — cooked with love — by Syrian women.

These chefs are all moms who’ve never worked in Syria, due to cultural norms; they have never trained in a restaurant. For them, every dish has to be like how they cook at home for their families and children.

“Because whenever they cook, they feel like they're cooking for people who are very close to them,” said Elwan.

Today, Tayybeh has grown from employing four women to 40 people, including women from Palestinian, Iraqi and Kurdish backgrounds.

Since its inception, Tayybeh has offered over $1.5 million in salaries to support refugee women.

Raghda Hasan takes a brief break from prepping the sauce for a turkey dish.

Kibbeh is a traditional Syrian comfort food stuffed with a mixture of bulghur wheat, onions and ground beef cooked in Middle Eastern spices.

Maha El Ahmed plates falafels for a catering order.

Nihal Elwan explains how Tayybeh helps improve the overall well-being of refugee women.

Hala Maghamez

Hala Maghamez is a catering manager at Tayybeh. Born and raised in Aleppo, Maghamez spent four years in Syria during the civil war and then she and her family took refuge in Lebanon.

Maghamez came to Canada at the end of 2015, along with her two siblings and parents, sponsored by a church in Edmonton, A.B. She stayed there for a year and then to Montreal for a few years.

In 2020, she moved to Vancouver to pursue her postgraduate diploma at the Vancouver Film School.

Upon moving to Canada, Maghamez faced two major challenges. The first one was language.

“Back home, we only spoke Arabic and we only studied in Arabic,” said Maghamez.

“Even though I was better than other people knowing the [English] language because I was used to listening to music and songs in English and watching movies, I still couldn’t express myself fully as I do in my own language.”

The second challenge was her age and ability to work. Maghamez was only 18 when she arrived in Canada.

Maghamez grew up in a culture where people typically don’t work until after they graduate from university and depend on parents for financial support so working at such a young age — being the youngest — was very unusual for her. Plus, the cultural norms in Syria didn’t encourage women to work outside their homes.

As the catering manager, Hala Maghamez manages several customer calls in a day and digitally records food orders. She then coordinates with chefs to ensure smooth and timely delivery of food.

As the catering manager, Hala Maghamez manages several customer calls and digitally records food orders. She then coordinates with chefs to ensure smooth and timely delivery of food.

Hala Maghamez explains why women in Syria don't work.

This opportunity was Maghamez’s first full-time job at Tayybeh, a perfect blend of culture, food and language that felt like home for her. She started off as a server and later became a catering manager.

At Tayybeh, Maghamez experienced a sense of purpose. She felt supported and her contributions were valued.

“Here at Tayybeh, I felt like my voice was heard and that my opinion matters and that I am being trusted, and this is how I felt that I am empowered.”

Maghamez finds comfort in eating Syrian food at Tayybeh prepared by Syrian women. It is also a walk down memory lane, helping her adjust to her new life in Canada.

Hala Maghamez took this photo with her family at a gathering in Montreal. Featured in this photo are her dad, Georges (on the bottom left), mother, Amar meaning "moon" in Arabic (on the bottom right). In the middle are her siblings, Layla and Fouad (meaning "heart" in Arabic), as well as her niece and nephew, Joy and Tayf (meaning "rainbow" in Arabic). At the top of the photo is Maghamez herself.

Hala Maghamez shares how Syrian food at Tayybeh helps her feel closer to her home and family in Syria.

Hala Maghamez shares her experience working at Tayybeh, her favorite dishes and how Tayybeh supports her during difficult times.

Raghda Hasan

Raghda Hasan is the head chef at Tayybeh. She left Syria in 2012, lived in Türkiye for four years, and in late 2016, came to Canada, along with her husband and her children.

When Hasan first arrived in Canada, she faced several challenges.

Language was her biggest challenge, which she admits she continues to grapple with.

Hasan also noticed significant cultural differences, especially in her social life, even when compared to her life in Türkiye.

Raghda Hasan adds expiration labels to Tayybeh dips, then slips them into a protective sleeve before storing them into the fridge for ultimate freshness.

In Syria, for example, Hasan would go out with friends and family; she would engage in activities with her kids, especially when they were young, and spend time with her husband.

However, in Canada, she spends most of her time at work.

“I only get to see them a little bit, the weekends or the holidays, but in Syria, I had more free time for family and even for myself,” said Hasan.

This is in part because, in Syria, Hasan did not work due to the lack of job opportunities available for her.

Raghda Hasan is with her family at her daughter Mariam's wedding in Vancouver, B.C. Featured here are her sons, Hasan (in the front), his friend, Mohammed and brother Ahmad (in the back), Raghda's husband, Omar, and their youngest daughter, Solar.

Raghda Hasan prepares the special Holiday Turkey marinated with a perfect blend of seasonings and flavourful juices. The turkey is a key part of the Holiday Menu, featuring homemade gravy sauce, roasted veggies and a milk pudding.

Hasan feels a special connection to Tayybeh because her first day at Tayybeh was when it opened. And it's also the first job Hasan has had outside of her home in Syria.

Since working at Tayybeh, Hasan has grown independent and has developed the confidence to venture out on her own.

Raghda Hasan shares how Tayybeh empowers her.

Moreover, Tayybeh played a significant role in helping Hasan adjust to her new life in Canada “because I started to interact with people and work, and I introduce people to our Syrian culture through our food.”

“I used to cook food a little bit at home and as a hobby but now I can cook any Syrian dish, even the most traditional dishes.”

Raghda Hasan shares about her home in Syria, her favorite dishes and how Tayybeh supports her.

So if you're craving the warmth of flavourful falafels, a refreshing bowl of tabbouleh salad or the heartiness of turkey, treat yourself to a culinary experience at Tayybeh that combines diverse and delicious offerings, promising a feast for your senses.

Location: 2836 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6K 1R2

Image captions

Hala Maghamez

Raghda Hasan