From refugees to entrepreneurs
Syrian couple who fled war highlight cuisine of their homeland
Just over a year after they arrived in Victoria, having left everything behind when they fled war-torn Syria, Ibrahim Hajibrahim and his wife, Ranim Khochkar, are the entrepreneurs behind a new Syrian food business.
The couple have put their own twist on traditional Syrian foods and are selling lentil fingers, stuffed hot bread and baba ghanoush out of the Red Barn Market on Oak Bay Avenue. Their products have sold out and tasting demonstrations have earned positive feedback, so Hajibrahim and Khochkar are looking to expand to more Red Barn locations.
“When people support us, it makes us want to work more hard,” Hajibrahim said. “It gives us more hope that we will be successful.”
Saraya Hot Bread is named after Khochkar’s village in Latakia province, which has been destroyed by bombs.
The couple, Hajibrahim’s mother, and their three daughters, Nikar, 9, Limar, 6, Nilay, 3, came to Victoria as refugees in February 2016 after three years waiting in limbo in Lebanon. Their youngest daughter, Aleen, was born here in December.
In January, Ranim cooked dinner for a group of volunteers with the Harbour of Hope Refugee Assistance Society, which helps privately sponsored refugee families.
The guests raved about the food, which gave Hajibrahim the idea to start a restaurant.
“I searched the market and [Victoria] doesn’t have much Syrian food, or not the same quality,” Hajibrahim said.
He floated the idea by Karen Short, a volunteer with the society who has a background in sales. She suggested that selling food to grocery stores might be less expensive than setting up a restaurant.
Short called some contacts and got into touch with Red Barn Market, which kicked off the partnership. Hajibrahim and Khochkar set up a tasting demonstration for Lisa Buchan, the deli director of Red Barn Markets, and she was sold.
Short helped the couple get a business licence and helped them complete the FoodSafe program, which is necessary for Island Health certification. The biggest challenge was finding a commercial kitchen, as most charge between $25 and $50 an hour. Hajibrahim ended up finding a restaurant owner who would allow access to his commercial kitchen one day a week for free.
Brock Smith, professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Victoria’s Gustavson School of Business, said it’s common for immigrants and refugees who are having trouble accessing the traditional job market to set up their own businesses.
“They look at entrepreneurship as a way to generate income to support their families,” Smith said. “The immigrant community is highly motivated. They’ve got skills they’ve honed at home and they’re bringing them to new communities.”
Hajibrahim has been an entrepreneur before, running a wellestablished pharmacy in Syria.
“He’s been a business owner, he gets it,” Short said. “He just needed some help navigating his way.”
Hajibrahim said that through his business, he wants to give his family a good and stable life in Canada.
“It gives you a sense that you’re part of this community and part of this new home.”