São Paulo – Syrian refugee Razan Suliman cooks tabbouleh, hummus, grape leaf rolls, falafel, dry curd and other Arab delicacies in the apartment that she lives in, in São Paulo’s Cambuci neighborhood. She sells typical snacks and dishes from her homeland to provide for her family. The items are advertised and sold mostly online, via the Facebook page Razan Comida Árabe (Razan Arab Food).
Razan did not cook for a living back in Syria, but decided to do so after struggling to get a job and make a living in Brazil for herself, her husband and family. At first, she’d cater only to residents in the condo that she lives in. Some three months ago she decided to put the word out and broaden her customer base.
She will cook everything to order, from snacks, sweets and dishes for weddings and birthdays to plain, everyday food. The menu includes tabbouleh, hummus, grape leaf rolls, falafel and falafel sandwiches, Syrian cheese, raw, baked and regular kibbeh, lentil soup, sfiha, dry curd, baba ghanoush, and sweets including harissa, date maamoul and baklava.
Razan enjoys cooking and wants to keep cooking. She says customer response has been very positive. “People give me five-star ratings,” she says regarding comments on her business’ Facebook page. Her husband, who’s facing health issues, helps the refugee to cook the food. They have a small kid and other relatives live with them as well.
A native of Aleppo, she explains that she had a stable life in Syria. She used to teach children at home, and her husband did auto detail work. They realized that they had to leave the country after a terrorist group got ahold of them. They moved to two different cities in Syria before heading off to Lebanon.
They got visas and bought tickets to France, but weren’t allowed to board their plane, after they had spent all their money on visas and tickets. Razan sold their belongings and they got plane tickets to Brazil. “We got to the airport and didn’t know where to go,” she says. A young Arab man overheard their conversation and took them in for a week.
The family lived in Ferraz de Vasconcelos, São Paulo, before relocating to the state’s namesake capital, where they now live in an apartment without paying rent, but they’ll need to vacate it in a month and have nowhere to go. The income from food sales is not enough to support the household.
Does Razan wish to open a restaurant? Yes, she’d love to. But first she needs a place to live in. She got in touch with refugee-oriented organizations to sell her products at fairs and events, as she has done occasionally in the past, but has yet to find a space in which to offer her Arab delicacies.
Quick facts:
Razan Arab Food
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/razancomidaarabe/
Phone: +55 11 9 9880 8496
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
