Kibbeh and courage: How a Syrian family is catering for an uncertain future in the US

The scent of sizzling kibbeh fills a bright classroom at George Washington University as students lean in to watch Rami Al Ghazzi deep-fry the croquettes filled with cooked ground meat, sauteed onions and toasted pine nuts. His wife, Shaza Sakbani, stirs a pot of lentil soup beside him. Their daughter, Maria, 7, helps with folding dough and seasoning fillings.

The family, originally from Damascus, has travelled from Chantilly, Virginia, to lead an interactive cooking demonstration on Syrian cuisine. For them, it is more than a lesson in food; it is a way of sharing a past they can no longer return to.

A decade earlier, none of them imagined they would be living in the US, building a life through food. Their journey began with what they thought would be a brief visit to the country in 2013.

“We were residing in Saudi Arabia. We were planning to go and live in Syria back in 2010 but unfortunately, everything changed. We received threats and decided to leave for a while and take a vacation," Mr Al Ghazzi tells The National.

"Here in the US, unfortunately we got stuck, and I think maybe also fortunately, we got stuck here."

Kibbeh and lentil soup prepared by the Ghazzi family during a demonstration of Syrian cuisine at George Washington University

Life in limbo for 12 years

The family’s asylum application, filed in September 2013, is still pending.

Mr Al Ghazzi used to help activists protesting against former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad’s regime, teaching them how to safely upload and share information while evading the security forces’ surveillance.

“Since I was staying outside Syria I was telling them I could come and help on the ground,” the father of three said. “They just told me, ‘Stay there. You’re more helpful outside than inside.’”

Soon, he learnt that security forces had visited his family home in Syria, indicating that returning could be fatal. Then tragedy struck: Mr Al Ghazzi's brother Rabeeh, who often took part in demonstrations against the regime, was executed.

In December 2024, Mr Al Assad's regime was overthrown by rebels led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham. The relations between the US and Syria have since improved, and President Donald Trump met Syrian leader Ahmad Al Shara at the White House on November 10. The US announced during the visit that it was renewing a waiver of Caesar Act sanctions imposed on Damascus.

The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, passed in 2019, imposed sanctions on the Assad government and those connected to it.

“Every time I look back at those days, I wish that my brother was alive to see what we saw and feel how freedom could be achieved. I know it needed a lot of sacrifices. He was my only brother. He was 31 when he was killed,” Mr Al Ghazzi says.

“I will never forget the way they killed him in the middle of the street. It was execution-style.”

Rami Al Ghazzi's brother Rabeeh, who often took part in protests against the Syrian regime, was executed. Rami Al Ghazzi

Navigating a new life

After settling in northern Virginia, the Ghazzi family began to rebuild their life and future. Ms Sakbani realised that cooking could provide an income and connection to their homeland. In 2018, the family launched Damascinos, a Syrian catering business named after their home town.

To help launch the business, they worked with Mozaic, a non-profit organisation founded in 2016 that is dedicated to supporting refugees in the Washington area through culinary training, licensing and opportunities to earn income.

The group's founder, Raghad Bushnaq, who moved to the US from Syria in 1989, said the organisation was formed to unify scattered community support efforts. Many refugees already had strong culinary skills, she said, but they needed guidance to deal with American systems.

“We became very supportive to many, many families,” she says.

With Mozaic’s help, Damascinos expanded quickly.