When couple Hussein Ferdos and Somya Mohammadi came to Canada as refugees from Afghanistan in 2015 they didn’t expect how their new life would turn out.
They’ve been living in Kitchener for nearly 10 years and welcomed their daughter Noura in 2022 to their growing family, with two sons Abbas and Ali.
In 2020, the couple decided to open a takeout and catering business at a commercial kitchen they rented in Kitchener. It’s called Yum Yum Kabob and now Yum Yum Kabob has opened up a dine-in restaurant in Guelph at 43 Cork St. last month.
The restaurant has a capacity of 30 and serves Persian and Afghan cuisine.
Ferdos wants to show his heart on the plate and believes people can feel it while they try the food he makes.
When he comes home from work he enjoys the food Mohammadi makes even if it's something as simple as boiled eggs. Ferdos’ favourite dish at the restaurant is koobide kabob. The kabob is a mix of veal and lamb with onion and mild spices. It’s served with Persian rice which has saffron in it and the rice is made in a small pot, made to order.
At the restaurant tea, bread, marinated olives, pickles and a garlic yogurt are included in the meal.
The Persian food he makes at Yum Yum Kabob is different from others he said but couldn’t pinpoint why, it was just a feeling. Maybe other people don’t think the food is different but we make it with love and our food is for everyone, said Mohammadi.
It took a year to open the restaurant in Guelph and Ferdos is glad this city is the one he and his wife chose, because they love the people here. Although sometimes he was tired in the process of getting things together for the restaurant, Mohammadi was there to give him the push he needed to keep going.
In 2022, when the couple was running the Kitchener location Mohammadi was pregnant with their daughter and she didn’t tell Ferdos her due date because she wanted to keep working. The day before the due date she told him would be giving birth and Ferdos said he was shocked since she thought she should be resting during her pregnancy. The day after the due date Noura was born and Mohammadi took two weeks to rest then would bring her newborn to work to check on things.
Noura grew up in the family’s catering business, said Mohammadi. This is why the restaurant in Guelph is called Yum Yum Kabob, also known as Noura’s Restaurant. When the family got the keys to 43 Cork St. they had Noura open the door. She was also the one to cut the ribbon at the grand opening last month.
What Mohammadi enjoys most about the dine-in restaurant is being able to see people eat her food. This way she can receive feedback from guests and improve things as the business continues.
What she wants for the future of Yum Yum Kabob is for not only Persian people to come and try it, but for everyone else in and around Guelph to come try the food she and her husband makes.
See the full menu here.
