If you've popped into Tanoreen over the years, you’ve likely run into a few familiar faces. Next to staff that have worked the floor as long as the restaurant has been open, you’ll often find owners Rawia Bishara and her daughter Jumana Bishara prepping in the kitchen here, personally greeting tables there. This year marks 27 years of service at Tanoreen, a small Bay Ridge restaurant that has become a staple of the community and the dining scene as a whole, raking in accolades from the James Beard Foundation and the Michelin Guide.
Nearing her 20-year mark of service at Tanoreen, Jumana Bishara is finding new ways to share the story of the restaurant. Last year, the restaurant made waves, opening a second outpost of Tanoreen inside of Time Out Market New York. We spoke with Jumana about her career path from international affairs to the restaurant industry, her favorite dishes and how she shares her culture through food.
You initially started a career in nonprofits and working in international affairs. Can you tell me more about that?
Jumana Bishara: I identified heavily as Palestinian in the Palestinian-American part of my identity growing up. So I wanted to go back and live overseas for a while, which we had done every summer as kids. As soon as I graduated, I got an internship with an NGO that operated in the Haifa area of Israel. That six months turned into almost five years of fundraising for Palestinian NGOs that operate inside of Israel. I had wanted to continue my education a little bit further, and I ended up choosing American University in Cairo and did my graduate degree in Middle East studies.
How did you get involved in working at Tanoreen?
JB: I came back to Brooklyn, and my mom said, ‘Look, I have this successful business and I need a partner.’ And she offered me to join her as part of Tanoreen. So, I ended up doing that. As opposed to using a political or sociopolitical background, I felt like I was sharing culture through food.
Was that a hard transition for you?
JB: My first time ever waiting tables was when the restaurant opened. [But] I felt like I was a part of something meaningful and important. It took a little while to transition, but I realized what an impact we had.
Growing up, what types of food would your mother cook?
JB: She cooked the same way that she cooks in the restaurant, still to this day. You eat a Tanoreen, you're really eating a home-cooked meal. That was one of the things that people told her that she couldn't do in the beginning—you can't take your home kitchen, put it in a commercial space and think it's going to work. But it did.
Any favorite dishes you liked growing up?
JB: I like a lot of the traditional dishes where you always have a stew that has a vegetable, a protein, a sauce and it's served next to rice or vermicelli pilaf. Maqluba, which is a big, traditional, family style dish, that's my favorite. We still make it on Saturday nights here at the restaurant. So I grew up eating everything that we still make here today.
When Tanoreen opened it was billed as Middle Eastern, but is now defined as Palestinian cuisine. Why was it important to make that designation?
JB: In the beginning, we didn't know how it was going to be received. There weren't really Palestinian restaurants on the scene, and I credit my mom with being one of the pioneers of that. I think we became more comfortable in our business, honestly, because we've always been proud Palestinians. We became comfortable knowing that we have a following based on our food, not based on what categorization. We would just start saying that this is our traditional Palestinian food, there's no need to label it to something that's more palatable.
How does it feel to put Palestinian food at the forefront?
JB: To me, it feels amazing. It makes us really both very proud. I'm extremely proud of what she's been able to accomplish, and then later what we've been able to accomplish. This is our cuisine. We are two women that are representative of our culture that people probably don't see because of stereotypes. We can shatter those a little bit and say that we are Palestinian, too. It's not all about political struggle—even though that's innately in our existence—but there's also this beautiful, loving and hospitable place that you can come to and feel like you're at home.
Tanoreen is going to celebrate 27 years in business this year. What is the secret sauce to staying open and keeping up with the times?
JB: It's about the experience that people have when they come here. It's about the hospitality that we exude and the love that's put into the food when we make it. It's food that's cooked with love.