Viewers like you
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in native language ] Samuelsson: How are you? -Hi. How are you?
-He has one. Hi. Nice to meet you. Me, too. [ Greetings in native language ] What do we --
What do we eat here? What do we sell here? They have falafel, and they have
them chicken falafel, which is really good. So, I remember playing
in the streets of New York... Yeah. ...and I would run to the end of
the street and grab a sandwich. Yeah. And I couldn't find
anywhere in the U.S. that would serve it... Mm-hmm. as the taste --
the closet as in Baghdad. -I love that.
-And it's here. Are you hungry?
Yeah. Falafel and chicken. Falafel and chicken. Nice. ♪♪ We got two,
three pieces of falafel. French fries, eggplant. Cauliflower. Lettuce and tomatoes. Mm-hmm. And what -- what's
the hot sauce I hear about? -Yes, amba.
-Yeah. Amba! Amba. Amba is
a spiced mango sauce. Oh, a spiced mango sauce? Yes. And you add it
on a falafel. And, as Iraqis, we cannot
have falafel without amba. No, of course.
How could you? Yeah. Why would you? It's -- It's --
It's a tradition. Falafel by itself
is kind of boring. I have to eat --
have it like this. Yeah. Mmm. Man, this is so good. It is. It is delicious. I mean, on a falafel ---
olive oil. I've never had amba. Yeah, well,
welcome to Iraq. Yeah. [ Both laugh ] Samuelsson:
I'm chef Marcus Samuelsson, and as an immigrant born in
Ethiopia and raised in Sweden, food to me has always told a
deeper more personal story. It's a path to culture,
identity, and history. And now it's a party! I'm going across the country
to learn more about America's immigrant communities
and culinary traditions, to see how food connects us all
across the United States. ♪♪ Detroit is iconic,
like Motor City, Motown, but it's also the home of one of
the largest and most diverse Arab-American communities
in the country. Man: Hi there.
Hey. -Sure thing.
-Thank you. Samuelsson: When you drive
from Detroit to Dearborn, it's less than 10 minutes,
but it changes dramatically. You just go from urban
landscape, abandoned buildings, and then you come to Dearborn. You're now in the suburbs. And you see
so many small businesses, everything written
in both English and Arabic -- restaurants, small cafés
and bakeries, hookah shops. Food is definitely an economic
backbone to this community. Kebab. Iraq kebab. This is our kafta. You find people
from Lebanon, Iraq, Syria. I think it's
a super-important time for looking at the Arab-American
experience in this country. I feel like there's a lot
of false narratives spread about its religion,
its practice, about who they are as Americans. So, I think this really is
a unique opportunity to meet the people, eat the food,
listen to the music, learn about the culture in what's been called the Arab capital
in North America. ♪♪ Georges: The falafel,
I have to have it with eggplant. Samuelsson: Mm-hmm. The acidity of the mango
is great. I think it's delicious. Do you want extra amba? Hit me with the amba. He's not here, so we can
get more. [ Laughs ] Yeah. Thank you. There we go. The third bite,
you see the vegetables with the falafel
and the French fries, it's all getting
nice and soggy. And this beautiful sauce,
it's fantastic. So, Salwan is
this amazing photographer, works for<i> Washington Post,</i>
and he's Iraqi-born, but also spends
a lot of time in Syria. How long has
the Iraqi community, uh, been in Dearborn? So, the Iraqi
Christian community, which is the Chaldean, been here
since the '70s.
Oh, wow. But more of the Muslim
community, the larger part, came when Saddam... ...and that's how the Iraqi
in the early '90s started their community. So, help me understand so people
get the difference between -- So, most of the Iraqis are
actually refugees, right? Some,
not -- not "most." It's mixed --
immigrants and refugees. It's a mix. My family made a choice
to leave Iraq because we knew
the war coming. Mm. We left, and then
we were refugees in Syria, so Syria's like
a second home for me. It's a second home,
right. Yeah, yeah. So you've actually
been both. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I mean -- yeah. You've been both refugee,
and now you're immigrant. Yeah, and then, uh -- and then
we made it here as immigrants. When we arrived in Detroit,
I was, like, shocked. Yeah. Especially for me.
I was a teenager. I didn't speak any English,
so it was really hard. There's a café
across the street here where men were
playing cards and dominoes. I had an assignment
for one of my classes, so I walked in
with a 35-millimeter camera. I just kept taking photos, and I
took them back to my teacher, and he was like, "Wow,
I've never seen someone that can really take us
to that community." And that's when I realized
this could be something that I can kind of
show my culture. And then I started to get
into photojournalism. Now I'm in D.C. --
Washington, D.C.
Yeah. But every time I come to town
and visit family, I stop here first to get
a falafel sandwich so I can -- As soon as I bite it,
it takes me back -- after a soccer game
with friends in Iraq, on the streets, barefoot. Yeah. So, that was delicious. That was
absolutely delicious. Yeah. I'm excited
about this bread. It's so soft! -Samoon, yes.
-Samoon. So, you want to see how
they make the bread and... I would love to. Let's go, yeah. ♪♪ ♪♪ This is Hayder. What's up, Hayder? How are you? This is Marcus. What's up? This is the Iraqi bread,
samoon.
Nice. You have
a very important job, because all the people that
come in that are Iraqi, they probably think
about the old country
and the home country, so it's important he makes it
very authentic, right? He'd better. Right? [ Laughter ] What do you miss most
about Baghdad? What do you miss
the most? [ Conversing
in native language ] He said everything. Everything, yeah.
Baghdad's very, very beautiful. Oh, yeah. And Iraq --
very beautiful. Samuelsson:
When we think about Iraq, the war's really been going on,
on and off, over 30 years, so we always think about it
as a place of conflict. You never see anything positive. So, these small businesses
here in Dearborn and Detroit is really counter-programming
to that. This is a way to eat something,
taste something, speak to someone
that you may or may not fully understand their culture, but you can do it
in the most human way, by breaking bread. Growing up in Iraq,
I, uh, never, never thought, like, faith could
divide us. Christian, Muslim,
we're all one. Oh. I remember, as a kid, I would
go with friends to the mosque, they would come with me
on Sunday to church. Wow. Beautiful. And it was -- it was... You know, we're living
in -- in peace. But what you should know
about Iraq -- food is very delicious. Nice. I have to put that first. Yeah. But, also, the people
are very welcoming... Nice. ...and they will always
give you a samoon. Nice! I love it. Hayder.
[ Speaking native language ] Okay. Yeah, okay. He's gonna teach you. Good. Good!
I love it. Samuelsson: So, he's
just gonna put that in, but he brushes with
a little bit of water? Yes, water, and add some,
uh, flour on top. -Flour on top.
-Yeah. And that's what gives it
a unique crunch and color, and also so the dough
doesn't get stuck in the -- inside
the oven. [ Georges chuckles ] ♪♪ Go on. ♪♪ Oh, more, more! ♪♪ Samuelsson:
Being a baker in Baghdad and then knowing that skill
gave him a job in America. Yeah. Totally. You never know. Yeah, you never know,
yeah. You never know. That's what's so great
about America... Yeah. ...that a lot
of people come and bring their cultures
with them. Yeah. Especially what's about --
unique in Detroit and Dearborn, that whatever skill you have,
you come here, it's almost like
back home here. Yeah. And that provides an easy way
to become American here... Yeah.
...than just going
to a city where, like, everything
is different for them, everything is -- is -- is
totally new. Frightening. Yeah, it's like
a new world for them. So, here you get introduced
to the American culture slowly. Yeah. And that's -- that's a key for a lot of immigrants
and refugees, to not have the culture shock
right away. And Dearborn and Detroit
provides that. Oh, wow. Well, what's his goal of --
of living here in Dearborn? [ Conversing
in native language ] What dreams
does he have? [ Laughs ]
He said find him a wife. [ Laughter ] I'll be looking.
That's good. [ Door bells jingle ] Samuelsson: So,
now we're in Dearborn? Now we're in --
Now we're in Detroit. Now we're in Detroit. Across the street
over there is Dearborn. -Is Dearborn.
-Just that light. [ Both laugh ] My very own experience
as an immigrant to this country, at a very age --
around 22, 23 -- I was told,
as a black chef in Europe, no one would come and support a black-chef restaurant
in Europe, so America was the only country
that I could go and do my craft. So, my story
has many similarities with the immigrant community
in Dearborn and Detroit, but also very different. ♪♪ I do know the journey of leaving
a place, setting up shop, and hopefully
they will accept me and I can make this home. But I come from a very cushy
country, in Sweden, and I'm extremely grateful
for that. When you come as a refugee
from Iraq or Syria, you can't just go back, so there's a huge
difference there. For me, America's always held
this place of hope -- what's not possible
in one part of the world, if you come to America,
it may be possible. [ Pan simmering ] Hi. Hi. -How's it going?<i>
-Assalamu alaikum.</i> Hi. Nice to meet you. -How are you?
-I am good. Thank you so much. Nice to meet you. -How are you?
-Hi, Siwah. Yasser and Siwah are
a Syrian refugee family, and they came to America
fairly recent. They're trying
to integrate their kids, they're trying to figure out
how to get a job, how to fit in. Yasser has been a chef
almost all his life in Turkey and Syria, and I'm real excited
to learn about this meal we're about to have. What are we gonna
do today? Yasser: Maqluba. And maqluba is a...Syrian dish,
Turkish dish? Turkish dish. Turkish, yeah. Turkish, yeah.
[ Speaking native language ] Georges: They're starting
to look good. Nice. You both come from places that
have such a rich history, but over the last 30 years,
when the wars separate people, how do you keep
your food identity? It must be
very difficult. Well, what's so special about,
like, Middle Eastern food is always made at home. Yeah? Like, I'm in D.C. now,
and my mom always like, uh, "Oh, do you want to make
a dish on FaceTime?" And I was like, "Of course!
Let's make one." -Oh, that's awesome.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just made, uh,
one this past week. I think I did okay.
[ Chuckles ] Yeah. That's a great way
of staying connected. Of course.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yasser: And I'm gonna do,
uh, one here, one here,
one here, one here. Yep. Nice. Samuelsson: Maqluba has peppers,
eggplant, and some chicken. It's just a good dish
on a cold day in Dearborn. Looking good. When I think about
Middle Eastern cooking, the first thing comes to mind
is these incredible, rich, historically important
marketplaces like Damascus, like in Cairo. And the marketplaces
is where people traded. They traded spices,
they traded food. When we think about spices
in this country, we very often tend
to think about spicy food. The spice blends of
the Arab-American culture, the Middle Eastern culture,
it's floral, it's flavorful. You have things like coriander,
cumin, cardamom, sometimes rose petals,
sumac, Aleppo peppers. Cinnamon. Ground pepper. Yes. Turmeric. Now we mix it up. That's what I love about
Middle Eastern foods. It's just
very flavorful. -Yeah.
-You know, floral. All of it sets up
as delicious, rich, but not necessarily spicy
in heat, as we think about
other cuisines. Georges: Good job. [ Laughter ] Both of you guys have emotional
but also birth ties to Syria. How does it -- When you see
what's happening now on TV, week in, week out,
how does -- how do you guys
think about it? How does it
make you feel? It just, um -- It's just
a very sad situation
because, you know... Samuelsson: Yeah. It just -- It just -- You don't
want your home to be destroyed. Yeah. I mean, if it's a house
or if it's a country. Yeah. And you've seen it from
your first home country, Iraq. Yeah, yeah. And now you see it from
your second home country. -True. Syria.
-Syria, yeah. Samuelsson:
I think there is a point where you can't even imagine
how hard it is leaving everything you know
behind. Maybe your home got destroyed, maybe you have to go into one
or two or several refugee camps. Can you even stick together
as a family? I can sense
there is hope. -Yeah.
-Yeah. Finished, yeah? This is done. Finished, yeah, yeah. Finished, yeah. Samuelsson: The name of the game
in a Syrian home is hospitality. Yasser and his wife
served us a feast. We came for the maqluba. The table quickly filled up
with a whole smorgasbord, a whole array
of incredible dishes, with sayadieh, which is this
pan-fried tilapia with rice. Dolmas. There was also
this beautiful lamb roll stuffed with pine nuts
and fattoush. -Okay?
-Yeah. To be in Yasser's home --
They have this small apartment, but yet they're cooking up
a storm, a feast for us... Yasser: There you go. ...showing us all of their
rich heritage and culture, it's extremely humbling. Ahmed, what is
your favorite dish? What do you
like to eat? I lo-- I love
a lot of fattoush. Nice!
Islam, what do you like? -Pizza.
-Mnh! Pizza! Your mom and dad worked all day,
and you said pizza. [ Laughter ] This is really good. This is really good.
I've never had it before. It's beautiful. When you eat this food, does it make you think
about the old country? Mm-hmm. [ Plate clatters ] Boy: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Yeah.
They want to make the country they live in
beautiful. Yeah. All what they hope for
is the chance. They just need
to be given that chance, that they can, uh,
really show their true color and really make -- make
this country proud of giving them
the chance. Samuelsson:
I really, really hope that Dearborn, Detroit can be
this place of comfort that Yasser and his family
can call home. Thank you so much
for opening your home, and, uh, the food
was fantastic, and congratulations
to... Yasser: Thank you. ...the youngest
American. Thank you so much. [ Laughs ] Thank you very --
Thank you. ♪♪ Karam:
Southeastern Michigan is home to the largest
concentration of Arabs outside the Middle East, and we see that immigration has
picked up in more recent years due to the refugee crisis. But what's important to note is that people
from the greater Syrian region began migrating to Detroit
as early as the 1870s. During this period,
Arabs in Detroit where mostly peddlers
and shopkeepers in what's now known today
as Eastern Market. At the turn of the 20th century,
Detroit was a booming economy. Migrants were drawn to the area
from all over the world, including African-Americans
from the American South, to begin working in the rising
automotive factories. But more recently, Detroit has a reputation for
being economically depressed, especially in the wake
of de-industrialization and manufacturing
going overseas. However, there's been
efforts made by the city and local business owners
to really invest in the city and to see it grow, not only in
the Central Business District, but in outlying neighborhoods,
as well. And what we're finding
is that Arab entrepreneurs are indeed adding to
the revitalization efforts in the Detroit area. Hashem:
Hashems Nuts & Coffee started
in 1959, overseas in Lebanon. My father came here in 1977, and what we have today
is four stores, an online market,
and a spice warehouse. We wholesale
to coffee shops, tea shops all across
the metro Detroit area. We are most recognized
for our Turkish coffee. We use six beans
from around the world and blend them with cardamom, which is imported
from Guatemala. They served it with cardamom
to ease the effects of caffeine on the digestive system. This is the cardamom. Let it sit in your cheek
and let it do its thing. We're not just any store. We are a hub for information
for the Arab-American community. People come in
with land contracts and want us to read them
because they don't read English. They come here for advice,
they come here for direction, they come here
for a trustworthy opinion, and we pride ourselves on that. Samuelsson:
When I came to New York as a young, ambitious chef, you're looking for those small
water holes that are yours. Finding that coffee shop,
finding that bakery, sandwich shops, restaurants -- are way beyond
just serving people. They're serving communities to
have a chance to get together, talk to one another,
help each other out, and you slowly start feeling
this place of home. Uh, I want
to have some tea. What should I have?
What's -- What's good? My three favorites
are the fem power, the blood orange,
and the Yemeni tea. So, I'm Habesh,
very close to Yemen... Mm-hmm. ...so I'm gonna go
with the Yemen tea. You got it. What's in the Yemen tea? It's an herb mix that's mixed
by Hashems in Dearborn. Keeping it local. -Nice.
-And authentic. Nour has this place
called The Bottom Line. The Bottom Line
is part-owned by Nour, but also part-owned
by an African-American family. It's really a good example
of the Arab-American community and African-American community
working together. I love
the whole place. [ Laughter ] How long you guys
been open? Ballout: Two-and-a-half,
three years.
Nice. So, we're in what is
historically called
the Cass Corridor. Cass Corridor is, like, very
fastly, like, being gentrified. Yeah. It's now called Midtown. And one of the things that
I'm extremely invested in is making sure that
black-owned businesses, like, make it in the city
and also to create spaces where my Arab community and, like,
this black community that's, like,
neighboring Dearborn -- which is, like,
the place I grew up... Yeah. ...all come together here. And I really want to be
a part of creating this, like, vision
for the space where people can come to
and, like, feel safe. Yeah, that's why
I love the vibe here. It's always so, like,
you can interact with people or you can just hide off in
a corner and do your own thing. How did you build up all that
energy, passion, drive? That's a lot. You know, people can be
really inspired by you. Like, this place, this space,
these people are my home. I was born in Lebanon. I was in Lebanon
when war was happening, and I was in Lebanon
when the revolution happened. I moved to the States
shortly after that. So, like -- I'm, like,
obsessed with the idea of home, and I think that's a fact
for a lot of folks that are within diaspora,
within my generation. I mean, as an immigrant,
I can relate to that, right? 'Cause you always
question -- And I was adopted
and an immigrant, so I'm like,
"Is my home Ethiopia? Is my home Sweden? Is my home,
you know, New York?" Right. You know what I mean? Like, this idea of home,
where is home, and it's -- it's
a different answer for you than it is
for anyone else. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah. You're so clear
in your drive. You know, it's very empowering
to listen to you. I'm an artist,
I'm Arab-American, I'm also Muslim,
and, like, I'm also queer, and so, to me,
creating this space is creating a space
where<i> I</i> feel safe... Yeah. ...where people
can come to and, like, explore
their identities... Right. ...and not feel like
they have to choose. Like, I don't
have to choose between being Arab
and being queer. I don't have to choose between
being Arab and being American. Yeah. Intertwine them, yes. Like, how can you have these,
like, dual identities? How can you be this
intersectional human being... Mm-hmm. Sure. ...and still, like, maintaining
this, like, deep culture of, like, where you
come from -- like the hospitality,
the food... Sure. ...the, um,
how we exist as Arab, like our ways
of thinking. Yeah. Samuelsson:
Nour is an inspiration. The way Nour built the place,
the energy is so pure. I do feel like a lot of people
are searching for, "How do I fit in? Society might not always
be so kind to me, but when you come
to The Bottom Line,
you're welcome." One thing that has
always resonated with me was my parents
telling me... [ Speaking
native language ] What does that mean? Which means, if you forget
where you come from... Yeah. Yeah. ...you forget yourself
and you lose yourself. ♪♪ Navigating dual identity
is something that all of us are doing at some point
of our lives, specifically refugees
and immigrants. The first generations, parents comes in
and just get a job and try to get
the kids into school. The next generation
is constantly, "Am I American? Am I Arab-American? What am I?
How do I fit in?" This idea about belonging
in the new country. And it could be
a lifelong journey. But food is probably
one of the best ways of expressing that
and understanding that. Samuelsson: What is your
favorite dish there to make? Lena: It's really hard
for me to answer that question. It -- It's like asking a mother
to choose her favorite child. Yeah. I don't -- I could never
choose my favorite. [ Both laugh ] Lena is this incredible,
young, talented pastry chef that works in one of the top
restaurants in Detroit -- Selden Standard. Tell me a little bit
about Selden. What type of joint
is it? So, it's a rustic style,
small plates. Um, we have very
tight-knit relationships with Michigan farmers,
Detroit farmers.
Yeah. We try to keep it
in the fam. I think it's -- it's more
on the simplistic side. Yeah. 'Cause we -- we try to take,
like, three ingredients and make them the star. Yeah. One of the Lebanese desserts
on the menu at Selden Standard right now
is called halawa. Traditionally,
it's a sugar base that is taken to caramel stage,
240 degrees, and while you're whipping
tahini, you pour in the syrup, and it gets to
a nougat-type texture. I also did
a honey version, and it reminded me
of a Snickers bar, so I dipped it
in chocolate, and now I call it
my Lebanese Snickers bar. Have your parents
been to the restaurant? Oh, yeah.
I actually gave them a limit on how many times
they're allowed to go in there because they abuse it. That's great!
I love it! So, we're leaving
Downtown Detroit, and we're heading up
to Dearborn. I know that Dearborn has
a large concentration... Mm-hmm. ...of Arab-Americans. Is there a difference
between the Arab-American community
in Detroit versus Dearborn? Do you think
they're similar? The Arab population in Dearborn
is definitely more concentrated, but one of the things that
I love most about Detroit is it's melting-pot
society. Yeah. There's so many
different people. If anything, you stand out
if you're different. Yeah. And people like the --
you attract people because you're
different...
Yeah. ...and they -- they always,
like, hold you high, and -- and they love it. And I-I love Detroit. What's -- What's the Dearborn
community like? Uh, family, I would say.
Everyone knows each other. It's everywhere you go, you're gonna see
someone you know. Oh, cool. I-I can't go anywhere without running into
a person I know. -To your cuz?
-Yeah, to a cousin. To a cousin's cousin. Yeah. Everyone knows
each other. So, Lena, you have
Lebanese background. Mm-hmm. Were you born here
or Lebanon? I was born here,
in Dearborn.
In Dearborn. So you were born,
bred, buttered... uh, olive-oiled
in Dearborn? Uh-huh. Yeah, yeah. My mom is a convert. Yeah. She's Irish.
She was born in Boston. And my dad's family
is all Lebanese. We kind of all, as a family --
we're always in the kitchen. [ Laughs ]
That's awesome.
That's awesome. Cool. Here we are! This is nice.
This is a nice neighborhood. Can't wait to meet Mom. -I know, right?
-Yeah. They can't wait
to meet you. Slippery. Hello!
We're here! -Hi!
-Hi, Mom. How are you? ♪♪ I usually just do
like an "X" motion... Samuelsson: Mm-hmm. ...so you get even
on all sides. Yeah, yeah.
Do you want
to get in there? So, the most
important thing -- Did your grandmother approve
on this dough or what? What's going on here?
Whose recipe is this? My mom made
the meat mix. Ah! I see. Yeah.
It's in the family. So, I assume there's a lot
of cabbage in here, then, or...? [ Laughter ] Potatoes. And potatoes, of course. You know,
all the Irish ingredients. Yeah, yeah.
Good. We're gonna make this dish,
lahme bajin, which is almost like a -- I would say a Lebanese pizza
or a Lebanese pie. Is this similar
to a pizza dough? Yes. Yeah, it's --
it's a straight dough. Samuelsson: How are you?
What are we making? You want me do it? Yeah, yeah.
Of course. Show us
the way you do it. Or you do it? Do it, please. I heard, like,
the first pizza is from, like, Egypt, like
the region -- like flatbread. So, this is similar
to that, right? Yeah, it was made
on accident. Yeah. Someone just left out
porridge for too long, and it turned
into -- into dough. Mmm!
So, what do you have? Is this beef or lamb? -It's beef.
-With? Tomatoes, onions. Any spices in here? -Yes.
-Oh, yeah. There's sumac,
salt, and pepper. It's great. I love sumac.
It has that beautiful -- You can just toss that
in the meat. Just throw that
right in there. It has that beautiful sort of
citrus notes in the back. So, what are we doing here?
What is this called? It's a little
stretch and pinch. That's a lahme,
and this is the hajin. -Bajin.
-Lahme is meat. -Lahme is meat.
-Lahme is meat? -Meat.
-The meat. Lahme the meat. Can we go -- Can I work
next to you? Jamila: Yeah. We can work together. Ethiopian and Lebanon
works together. We can do it.
-Okay. We can do it.
I believe in you. [ Lena laughs ] So, who came first?
Who came from Lebanon? Man: My, uh, brother.
They call him Uncle Sam. [ Laughter ] He got the rest--
the restaurant. Lena: Uncle Sam. What time?
Is this in the '50s or...? -'68.
-Little bit... -'68.
-'68. -Yeah, '68.
-'68. Man #2: The reason she crimps it
and makes the crust is because the fat renders
and it'll run out into the pan. But if you do
the crust this way, it's stays in there... Yeah. ...and you get all that
juicy yumminess... Beautiful. ...just baked
into the bread. And she's insisting on
putting pine nuts in it. Pine nuts. Well, these pine nuts
are from Lebanon. These are from my jeddo's
garden -- my grandfather's. Picked them in Lebanon. Nice. It's in a pine cone, and he sits there with a rock,
just breaking them. -And crack it.
-Yeah. So, how long did it take you
to make this much, to open
this much pine nuts? Maybe seven,
eight hours. Oh, wow. [ Lena chuckles ] And what's your favorite dish,
Lebanese dish? -Lahme bajin.
-Yeah? -Yeah.
-Yeah? [ Laughter ] Lena: They typically take,
like, 10 to 12 minutes, but we're gonna --
we're going based on color. We like that nice, gold,
deep, flavorful color. All right.
Our finished product. Came out pretty nice. Cheers. -Thank you.
-Mmm! Jamila: Mmm! -I like it.
-Mm-hmm. Samuelsson:
It's not a complex dish. It's, like, actually --
I like it. It's just an easy snack, something you maybe
eat before dinner or in between lunch and dinner. It's just really, really good. I have one more thing that
I brought to you from Selden. Oh, cool! Kanafeh is a very traditional
Lebanese dessert. You'll see it
at every family get-together. -Ooh!
-Yeah. Is that a little phyllo
on top? Oh, yeah. You start with
shredded phyllo dough, and then,
traditionally, it's made with feta
and mozzarella, but I did
goat cheese instead because goat cheese gives it
a more creamy texture and a tangy flavor,
which I love. And then I do a little
quenelle of ashta. Mmm! Ashta is a Lebanese-style
clotted cream. Yeah. And it's flavored
with orange blossom and rose water,
as well. 'Cause this has almost like
ricotta texture, right? Yes.
Oh, yeah. Some, uh, places cheat, and they just buy ricotta
and flavor it with orange blossom
and rose, but -- But I don't think your
grandmother would, like,
even let that pass by. Oh, he--
Say, "We're not
doing that." So, when you get
that gooey cheese... Mm-hmm. ...that's what you want,
right there. And that's --
that's something that -- Probably a majority
of the Lebanese desserts are filled with ashta. Do you infuse a lot of Lebanese
flavors into dishes, into -- I try to, but then
I try not to, as well, 'cause I don't want to be
so, you know, predictable. [ Laughs ] Because people
are expecting -- -Tell her.
-I love that! People are expecting,
"Oh, the Lebanese girl
is gonna make a kafta." No, no. Man #2: I think
you should marry it. It took me a long time to start cooking with
Ethiopian ingredients... Oh, yeah? ...because I didn't really
know how to incorporate it. Yeah. It took time, 'cause it's still
for an American audience mostly. -Yeah, it's new.
-Yeah. But I don't care. When you make desserts
like this... Ah! This is so good. This is worth going
back and forth.
Thank you. Uh, and more Lebanon
in your dessert. Yeah. This is --
This is everything. Mmm! Thank you. Grandma approve? Everything okay. Thank you. [ Indistinct chatter, laughter ] One of the beautiful things
about being a chef is that you<i> can</i> express yourself and think about your identity
through food. There will always be some
Swedish pickling in my food, there will always be
berbere at the table, and there will always be
something from Harlem. When I taste Lena's food,
I kind of feel the same thing -- constantly this idea
between Lebanese ingredients, Lebanese techniques, married into these
incredible pastries that are so delicious, that are more kind of
New American or French in a way, but the way she combines this
is very unique, and it makes Lena's desserts some of the best
in Detroit city. ♪♪ Hakim:
Detroit is known for its coneys,
Detroit-style pizza, and then I think shawarma
is right there with it. It's primarily cooked on a spit. It can contain chicken,
it can contain beef, lamb, or some mixture
of beef and lamb. It's usually served
in pita bread, topped with any number
of things -- onions, pickles, tahini, or toum, which is
the garlic sauce. It's a street food
in the Middle East, where you go
to any street vendor, and they'll slice off
some shawarma for you, and you walk with it. The number of Middle Eastern
restaurants in Detroit -- they're everywhere. Every suburb,
especially in Macomb, Wayne, and Oakland County,
has at least a couple. It's that prevalent,
and everyone has their favorite, and everyone will argue with you
over which one is best. ♪♪ Woman: Sanden play this. Man: Oh, do they?
I didn't know. [ Indistinct conversation ] Chicken, anyone? [ Laughter ] That was good!
That was good! You want
beef, chicken, veg? Chicken or beef? Uh, I could take
the baby. Music has always
been a big deal, of course, in Detroit, and I'm meeting Mona and Tunde. Their studio is in this church.
Stunning, gorgeous. It's cold, but the spirit
of the place is incredible. Chicken, beef, or veg? I see you on that chicken. Growing up and eating shawarma
on the streets of Damascus, it's this incredible thing
because it's like all of these different elements
coming into one, and I feel like that's a really good
representation of the world. You can kind of wrap everything
in a pita and make it good. You got yours? Food is this funny thing. Like, you can call something
Lebanese food or Syrian food, but all of these arbitrary,
political, nation-state lines, they're so modern,
and so for somebody to say, "Oh, that's Syrian food,"
or, "That's Lebanese food," I'm just like, "You know what? It's food, and it's delicious,
and let's enjoy it together because that's when it's best." Samuelsson:
I'm an immigrant. I'm an African immigrant
to this country, so love to see African-Americans
and Arab-Americans coming together and creating
something that is very unique and inspiring
for other communities to collaborate
and work out together. Woman #2: Right. Haydar: I think we have a lot
to learn from one another. Like, it's so important
to come together, and I think
that's one of the things that has been most inspiring
about this moment in time. Samuelsson: That's amazing to
have each other as community. Yeah. And everybody's so talented.
It's really, really nice. I feel like being from Michigan
keeps you humble. [ Laughs ] I am a Syrian-American Muslim. I was raised in Flint, Michigan. I'm a poet turned rapper. ♪ All around the world,
love women, every shading ♪ ♪ Wrap my hijab ♪ ♪ Wrap, wrap my hijab ♪ ♪ Keep swaggin' my hijabi ♪ -♪ Swaggin'
-♪ Keep swaggin' my hijabi ♪ ♪ S-Swaggin' my hijabi ♪ ♪ Swaggin', swaggin' my hijabi ♪ ♪♪ You guys
worked on that here? Yeah, this is the space. This is like [laughs]
where we had all the sweat and tears
and, like -- Yeah. How did your -- your
project come about? Mona hit me up. I knew she was this, like,
amazing spoken-word artist, and she's like,
"I want to do an album." Yeah, I knew
I needed somebody who would understand
where I came from, somebody who
understood the story of what it is to be
a non-white person in America. Yeah, mm-hmm. We just kind of
worked it out, and I feel like we spent
at least two weeks here? We kind of lived on that couch
for a hot minute. It says something --
all over the world, when you come
from Detroit... People know it. ...when people think
about cars and music, from Motown to -- Aretha Franklin. -You know?
-Yeah. Or even -- even
house music, right? -Mm-hmm.
-House music, yeah. So, Aretha
and all of that stuff. Yeah. You know,
maybe people don't expect a female rapper
with a Muslim spin on it. I think it startles people,
especially the fact that I was pregnant
in the video. Yeah. I think people were like,
"What is she doing? Like,
that's not safe." No, that's awesome. [ Laughter ] So, what's
the comments been, like, both from friends
and family, but also
your community? Because you're really
representing something new and really, uh,
forward-thinking. Yeah. I think
it's beautiful. You know, there's been
a really funny mix. You know?
-Mm-hmm. So, like,
white supremacists, Islamophobes,
xenophobes, people who are anti-immigrant,
anti-refugee, really coming on my case,
being like, "Oh, she's just
a mouthpiece for ISIS. She's trying
to bring Sharia law." -Oh, wow!
-Yeah. -It's crazy!
-They went<i> there</i> with it? Death -- Death
threats. Oh, my God.
Wow. I'm so sorry. You know,
people in my e-mail -- Yeah, I know.
It's crazy. That is crazy. And then, on the other side,
you have some Muslims who -- who believe that music
is forbidden, who are like, "Yeah, she shouldn't
be doing this." Mm-hmm. "She's not even
really Muslim." You know, similar to how,
like, food is very emotional. Yeah. People feel
something about it. They feel like,
"It should sound like this," or, "It shouldn't
sound like this." "It should
feel like this." "It shouldn't
feel like this." Yeah. And, like,
food is the same way, And so, for me,
like, being somebody who loves food
and loves music, I'm sort of here, like,
living in that world, trying to find
a good balance, trying to just find
my own rhythm... Yeah, yeah, yeah. ...my own little
sweet spot where -- So, you've got your critics
on both sides... -Yeah!
-...but guess what? You can thank them both 'cause
they're gonna make you better. You're gonna just,
like --
Yeah. When you kiss your Grammy,
you're gonna be like, "Peace." And I'm just, like --
I'm just out here, living my best life,
you know? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes. I think cities with a little bit
of an edge create love. Mm-hmm. People have
to work together, people have
to collaborate. And from collaboration,
I think, comes real love,
come diamonds, you know? You get that -- that power
when people get together. Yeah. ♪♪ So, something that's
really important to know about the Arab community
worldwide is that not all Arabs
are Muslims, and not all Muslims are Arabs. The Arab-American community
in metro Detroit is exceptionally diverse. In terms of religion,
we have a large community of Maronite Catholics
from Lebanon, Orthodox Christians from Syria, Chaldeans from Iraq. The community is incredibly
diverse in other ways, too, especially in terms
of generation. So, not only do we have
newly arrived immigrants, but they live alongside third- and fourth-generation
Americans like myself. The Lebanese community is known for
its historic community, as well as its new arrivals. So, we have this big mix
of new and old. Eid: This here is,
no two ways about it, one of the greatest places
in Detroit. It's been in existence
from the '20s. They open at 2:00
in the morning, and by 8:00,
everything is done. My name is Sameer Eid. I am about the oldest restaurant that's been run by its owner
in Michigan. When I first opened
the Phoenicia restaurant, I remember very well
there were three restaurants in the state of Michigan
for Lebanese food. Right now, there got to be
over 200 of them. Hi. How are you? -Good. How are you?
-Hi, guys. Ever since 1973,
I've been coming down here, so I have dealt with
the grandparents of these kids' in their 20s
operations now and their parents,
and, uh, I enjoy that. Give me four of them. -Yeah.
-Four of them. When I come here,
it -- it just gives me the feeling --
like great memories of the small place
that I used to go to in Beirut. Only, in Lebanon,
everything was seasonal. Here, you can get anything
you want all year around. There is no seasonal stuff
anymore. You don't got the big boxes
of the cukes, do you? Not the big ones.
I got the small ones, so -- Why don't you,
you know? I got these ones
right there. They're beautiful. No, no, no, no. By now, all these wholesalers
know me, and they know me so well that, when I ask them for lettuce
of a certain kind, they will tell me,
"We have it, but not for you," because they know
how fussy I am. And I attribute my success
to this fussiness of everything. I just want to see
how much seed's in there. Not bad.
Give me a case. Give me a case
of those. Granddad, mayor of the
Lebanese community, is Sameer. Ahh!
[ Grunts ] It feels so good
being a customer. [ Chuckles ] Sameer knows every customer.
He knows their kids. He might even know
their grandkids at this point. Samuelsson: How long have
you had the restaurant? Uh, August 1, 1971. Wow. He's extremely successful. Sameer never stops
evolving his business. He goes to the market
at 4:00 in the morning. He knows everyone at the market. He still picks his ingredients.
He sends stuff back. That by itself is amazing. This looks delicious,
by the way. This is what we call
fattoush. Fattoush!
I love fattoush. This -- Saab: No Lebanese meal
be complete without a little bit
of olive oil... -Yeah.
-Right. ...to add
to your baba ghanoush and to your hummus. We -- Him and me,
probably, if you squeeze us,
you -- you don't get blood. You get
olive oil out of... Saad: Me too, me too. -You too?
-Yeah. [ Laughs ] I grew up under the nozzle
of an oil press. The baba ghanoush gets
the smokiness of the eggplant. It's smoked, yes. They charred it really,
really well. -Yeah.
-Wow. I think it's the best
baba ghanoush I've ever had. Well, I'm glad
you enjoyed it. Wow.
The smokiness -- But this is the reason. Our baba ghanoush,
we make it from fresh eggplant that we charcoal here. But when you -- when you left
as a young man, Lebanon, what type of, um, country
was Lebanon in the '60s? Yeah, an absolutely
gorgeous country, very alive,
very gorgeous. It was a -- It was a wonderful,
wonderful country.
Yes. And I came in 1961, went to school
in Denton, Texas -- North Texas State
University. I don't look it.
But I've forgot my hat and my -- You look -- Hey. [Chuckling]
my -- my boots. I forgot my boots. You're right. We're missing
the cowboy boots, but you could definitely
be from Texas. Why not? Yeah. ♪♪ ♪♪ The food is delicious. The food is... Glad you're enjoying it. This is the best thing
he has right here. Menal: That's the best. This here is Lebanese sausages
that I make from only legs
of USDA choice lamb. That's hashweh --
ground lamb with onions. Nice. It's wonderful.
I love it. And -- And here we have
the star dish, right? This is, here,
the kibbeh nayyeh. That's the queen
of the table. It's -- It's wonderful. Eat a piece of the mint
with it. Some people put some
onion with it. Take a piece of bread,
the soft bread. Put a lot of olive oil
in it and... Lot of olive oil. Yeah. You don't have enough olive oil.
-I knew you would say that. [ Laughter ] I see not Lebanese food
coming here now.
Yes. Now I see --
I'm like -- I'm smelling Texas now.
I'm like... Do not use the sauce on it
before you taste them. Taste them first. If you think they need sauce,
then do that. Otherwise,
don't do that. Samuelsson: The menu
is true Lebanese, and then you have
the pork ribs. And I love it, the fact
that he dared to do that and he just wanted to,
like, eat like Texas. He spent time in Texas, He likes barbecue,
so it's like, "All right. I'm gonna put some pork
in my Lebanese restaurant." The rub is great. Yeah, it is delicious. I just wish that people
who don't know anything about, um, Arab culture,
I wish they could come eat here, stay here for a week. Anyone that has fear
for immigrants, uh, they should
come to Dearborn, and they'll see nothing
but small businesses and people working
together, and that's what
I've seen this week. You know, our governor
started something called
Business Leadership Awards. Last year, he gave awards to two Middle Eastern
business leaders who employ
a lot of people. He wanted to change
the false perception that people think immigrants
come here... Nice. ...to take away jobs,
when, in fact, they are becoming owners
and creating jobs. Yeah, that's right.
It's the land of opportunity. When you come to
the United States, you start seeing things
that literally don't exist
in our part of the world. Samuelsson: Yeah. You have security. You have rights. You've lived now
longer in America than you have in Lebanon,
right?
Absolutely. I'm more American
than Lebanese, by far. That's what I wanted to know.
So what do you... I'm American. You're American. Right now, as American
as apple pie and Chevrolet. Yeah. Yeah. When you think about Sameer, he's really the embodiment
of the American dream, that idea that you can
from a different country with different language
and different culture and make it
in the new country. I know he works really,
really hard at it. He's created
many, many jobs for the Arab-American
community here, but he also has this incredible
level of pride for Detroit. His restaurant serves
so many guests. And when they leave,
they leave with a little bit more knowledge
of Arab American food. The pure Lebanese food is better Lebanese food than
I've had in Lebanon. I've been to Beirut twice. I felt like that was
the best Lebanese food I've ever had. It was incredible,
impeccable. Thank you so much for showing me
an amazing time. Hey.
It's my pleasure. And your -- your journeys
are very inspirational. -Our pleasure.
-Such a delight to meet you. To 47 more years
of business. Thank you.
I know. I-I'm planning on 50,
but, eh, I'll settle for 40. [ Laughter ] ♪♪ Samuelsson: Hi, everybody. -Hey, Marcus.
-Hey. -Welcome to our kitchen.
-How are you? Thank you for being here.
It's an honor to meet you. Hi. How are you?
How are you? This is Nahdie Shukr. How are you? Good. How are you? Her son's wedding
is tomorrow. Congratulations! Thank you, thank you. That's awesome! Gonna be a big wedding. Are you excited?
Yeah. Oh, good. It's her oldest. What's his name?
His name? Mustafa. Mustafa. And so I heard, like, couple of people are
coming to the wedding? Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, not a couple. Maybe 700. 700! All right --
A big one. Samuelsson: I'm at Byblos,
which is this catering hall to many, many weddings
and big occasion in Dearborn. And Nahdie,
she's the chef. We are making kibbeh,
which is on the menu tomorrow for Mustafa's wedding. Oh, nice. Raw meat. Yeah, raw meat. I'm from Ethiopia,
and we have a very similar dish called kitfo. It's also raw meat. Please teach me
how to make this. She's gonna walk you
right through. Okay. So, what do we have here?
What's in this? Yeah?
So this is the base? Yeah, this is --
Cumin. Cumin.
Roast pepper. Mmm! And this is, uh... Chili pepper. Yeah, we mix it.
We be like that. Nice. Are you nervous for the wedding?
You think it's -- No. No. I'm so excited. I can pour for you. Okay. Oh, you dump the meat
in there? Nice. So this is beef,
right? Yeah, this is the beef. Ooh. Halal beef, 100%.
100%. All the people in Dearborn
eat halal. Halal, right?
Halal meat. Samuelsson: Kibbeh is
just almost like a -- I would say a Lebanese
raw-beef tartare. First of all,
eating raw meat -- the meat is the cleanest,
the freshest already. And, you know, there's a certain
style that you have to do it. Yeah, I'll need
some more water. Thank you. All right. When I make for 700 people,
we make it -- or we mix it
for a big, uh, machine. Mm. How many --
How many kids do you have? Eight. Eight. Well, your kids --
They were born all here or -- They're all born here. They were all born in --
in America. Yeah. At home, did you speak
Arabic at home, or do you speak English
at home? Arabic. The kids answer back in
English or Arabic? No, in Arabic. Oh, they do? If they answered for me
in English, I'm not answer. "I'll not answer back."
Good rule! You can taste it
before I put it on the dish. Thank you very much. And now you're gonna
cook it well-done? No, we leave it alone.
No cook it.
[ Laughs ] ♪♪ No salt? No, no.
This is beautiful. This is so nice. This is fantastic.
Thank you. This is really,
really good. And you know what I love
about Middle Eastern food? It's very flavorful. It's not super-spicy.
It's just so much flavor. Nice.
Beautiful. ♪♪ Little pepper. That's beautiful. A little heat,
a little jalapeño. Nice. Well done. Thank you. Nahdie got it. I got the best teacher ever, and our kibbeh --
It's so delicious. You're not gonna share. Like, you're gonna eat all that. I want to invite you for
my son's wedding tomorrow. Oh, thank you
very much. See you at the wedding tomorrow.
Thank you so much. Thank you. And congratulations. Thank you, thank you. Thank you. And all of you guys, wel--
more than welcome. ♪♪ Joe: Tonight, what's happening
is my nephew's wedding. It's a big wedding. It's over 700 people we're --
we're serving tonight. -Everybody ready?
-Yeah. Okay, everybody got towels,
gloves on? -Yes, sir.
-Okay, let's get to work. Joe: I'm the owner
of Byblos banquet hall. I've been in Dearborn since '79,
my hometown. I was born in Lebanon. I came to America.
I was 13 years old. We started our family business, originally in the
gas-station business. But since my childhood,
I loved cooking. I like it so much, I started cooking at home
and learning. We do 100% halal food. We do all kind of weddings,
and -- and the majority of the events, they come,
and they love our food. They like the --
the Middle Eastern food. All right.
Let's do the hummus. I have a policy --
When we serve the food, I don't allow nobody to talk
unless we have to so we can concentrate
on the looks of the plate and the quality that's gonna
come out in front of the guests. Nahdie: Hummus we like to call
"the bride of the table," so if you don't have hummus
at a wedding, it's kind of like
not having a bride. Joe: All right, make sure
you put the pomegranates on the baba ghanoush. ♪♪ Wash these
with the strainer. Put them in the cold water. Have them ready for me
over there. Okay, we got to make
a little bit of tabbouleh. The tabbouleh contains,
is chopped parsley, diced tomatoes, and we got some chopped onion,
green onion. On top of that, we use homemade
dry mint, crushed wheat. Tabbouleh has to have
100% olive oil, and I get lot of my olive oil
from overseas. This is the lemon juice here. And at the end,
you add a little salt to it, but you don't add a lot,
because that lemon juice, that gives it kind of
sour-y, salty taste. Get two. Two. And a box of diced tomatoes. It's getting close
to go time. ♪♪ Samuelsson: I've never been
to a Lebanese wedding. It's something that
I've always wanted to do. Even in the lobby, you can
start feeling the energy. Samuelsson: Did you come
directly to Dearborn? Joe: Directly from Lebanon
to Dearborn. To Dearborn. The majority of the people
in the community knows me very well,
and, uh, it's like a -- like a -- you know --
It's a tight community, a small community,
and everybody knows everybody. Knows everybody.
So, uh... Well, congratulations.
A big day today. Well, thank you very much.
It is for my nephew. Right? So, he's a doctor, and his wife-to-be --
she's a pharmacist. And they have a lot of friends
and co-workers and big family
on both sides. You guys are gonna enjoy it. -How are you?
-This is our dad. -Pleasure.
-Nice to meet you. How are you? Samuelsson:
We're guests of Nahdie and Joe, the organizer, the caterer to
many, many weddings and big occasions in Dearborn. We're gonna be just going
this way, Chef. Okay.
I'm so excited! I know. Right? This is gonna be
the funnest -- This has been the most
anticipated wedding for a year. -I swear.
-Yeah, yeah. I sat with Joe's family,
and they presented this incredible
meze platter. The hummus was important,
of course, the pita with everything. How is everything going
over here, you guys? We good, good. How's the food tasting? Thank you.
Very, very good. Thank you very much. It is so cool because,
there's no alcohol, right? It's a Muslim/Lebanese wedding. But people are pumped --
the joy, the spirit. And I was just watching
this wedding...theater. Man: Can we have
your attention, please? Introducing the king
and the queen of the night. Ladies and gentlemen, let's
give a big round of applause. [ Speaking Arabic ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Samuelsson:
As I look around the room
at this incredible wedding, I think about the couple, their future together, the excitement together. Now I have a little better
understanding from my humble seat about this
incredible, complex, layered, but super-successful
community -- from Yasser's family
that just got here... Welcome to America. [ Laughter ] Samuelsson: ...to Sameer,
that's been here for almost 50 years... Everybody is an immigrant
of this country. [ Laughter ] ...to Nour and Lena,
that are young and modern. So many small businesses
that provide an economic backbone
for refugee immigrants... Fresh bread. ...setting up
the next generation of Arab Americans
that now are Americans and are contributing
with their passion for America but also for their own culture. There you go. I love it, love it! I feel really lucky
to be invited in and also be able
to show to the world how beautiful this community
really is. This is so delicious. Mmm! [ Woman speaks Arabic ] [ Laughter ] Woman: "To your health." Woman #2: Yeah, that means
"to your health." By the way, I have
to try some of this. -Oh, yeah?
-Yeah. -Gonna put it on?
-Just a little. He's -- He's warning you.
He's like, "That's very hot." [ Laughter ] Man: Is it --
Is it hot? Mmm! Yeah, it is hot. [ Chuckles ] -I-I got it.
-Very hot. I don't think you have to eat
for the rest of the day, right? No, you won't for, like,
the next two weeks. [ Laughter ]
