Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on July 19, 2024

Normally when a customer visits your business for the first time and starts crying, that isnt a good sign. But at River Norths OUD Coffee & Cake, it was.

Started by four first-generation Palestinian Americans, OUD opened at the end of June with the essence of Palestine front and center. We really wanted to emphasize our culture, background, and history, says partner Feras Ghassau. One customer teared up while drinking a traditional Arabic tea when a song she used to listen to with her family back home came on in the background: You typically dont get that kind of reaction at a corporate coffee shop, says partner Saif Alrafati.

The Chicago area has the largest Palestinian population in the country, with many in the community dwelling on the Southwest Side, including in the suburbs where South Harlem Avenue is known for a stretch of Palestinian restaurants. But there are few restaurants owned by folks with Palestinian roots within city limits. Notables include Cedars Mediterranean Kitchen in Hyde Park, Middle East Grocery in Andersonville, Salam Restaurant in Logan Square, Pizza Capri in Hyde Park and Lincoln Park, and Pilsen Yards in Pilsen. As the war in Gaza continues, many members of the diaspora and their allies are searching for community gathering points, a sense of belonging. As a new restaurant and cafe in the heart of Downtown Chicago, OUD provides such a venue.

The coffee shop and cafe features decorative items from the owners family members throughout the 1,300-square-foot space. On either side of the long and narrow space, wood banquettes are paired with two- and four-top tables. Cozy nooks on each side of the front door offer terrific people-watching as well as a great spot for solo visitors to work. A handful of tables on the sidewalk provide additional seating.

For the coffee drinks, the partners at OUD didnt have to look far for a quality coffee bean supplier. Ghassaus family has been in the coffee business for years, importing beans from Guatemala that are roasted locally. In addition to classic coffee drinks think Americano, cappuccino, drip, and the like OUD offers a dozen flavored lattes, ranging from ginger turmeric and rose to honey lavender, available hot or iced. Then theres the OUD latte, which features notes of cardamom, pistachio, and mint. You have the warmth of the cardamom and the freshness and fragrance of the mint with a little bit of pistachio for the sweetness, Alrafati says. It speaks to a lot of the day-to-day flavors weve had growing up.

Other specialty drinks include Turkish coffee a special coffee grinder is used to grind the beans to the desired ultra fine texture masala and turmeric chais, and a blended mint lemonade, which utilizes whole lemons. Tamr Hindi, a refreshing sweet-and-sour Arab drink, is made with tamarind, water, and sugar. Smoothies and alcohol-free mojitos round out the drink menu.

For some of the savory baked goods and pastries, OUD has partnered with local Palestinian bakers. There are a half dozen styles of baklava, filled with pistachios, walnuts, and Nutella; and knafeh cakes too, which have a creamy cheese filling and are topped with crunchy phyllo and toasted pistachios. Crunchy phyllo can also be found in OUDs Viral Dubai chocolate bar, made with dark chocolate and stuffed with creamy pistachio paste. Its name references its recent popularity on TikTok.

On the savory side, theres manakeesh, a Lebanese flatbread garnished with cheese, spinach, or zaatar. Heartier Mediterranean-centric dishes are also available, including a variety of breakfast sandwiches, wraps, crepes, panini, and salads. Pork doesnt appear on the menu with turkey bacon and turkey sausage appearing instead. A waffle comes in a variety of flavors including Lotus biscoff and Kinder Bueno.

Customers of the spaces previous tenant, Fabcakes, will find a selection of their favorites here, too. The OUD partners helped convince Fabcakes owner, Poland-born Fabiola Tyrawa, to stay in Chicago and open a wholesale business after she sold her cafe, which opened in 2016. OUD was her first customer. Her rotating selection of baked goods at OUD includes tiramisu brownies, mini croissants, blueberry muffins, and chocolate espresso scones.

Inside OUD, in addition to those decorative items from the partners families, youll find other cultural references, including two of its namesakes on the wall. Oud is a Middle Eastern pear-shaped wooden string instrument. The word also refers to a bark from the aquilaria tree found in the Middle East that is often used in fragrances. Shortly after OUD opened, one customer from Egypt was so excited to see the instruments, he asked to play one. He got a standing ovation, says Ghassau.

In the future, the team hopes to offer oud performances in the evening as well as classes in tatreez (Palestinian embroidery). We really want to stay true to who we are in our home and our families, says Alrafati of their inspiration.

Adds Ghassau: With everything thats going on in the world as crazy as it is, we just want to showcase our culture and where were from. That way the people back home are not forgotten.

OUD Coffee & Cake, 714 W Wells Street, open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Sign up for our newsletter.

Original post:

The Essence of Palestine Arrives in River North at a New Cafe - Eater Chicago

Category: Palestine
Tags: