Two Syrians in Rome have created a community to support migrants and vulnerable people by sharing the flavors of their war-torn homeland. Founded in 2018, HummusTown began as a humanitarian catering service aimed at raising funds for families and friends in Syria. Over time, it has evolved into a thriving small business, helping new migrants integrate into Italy and gaining a loyal following on Rome’s gastronomic scene.
As the Syrian war continued, Shaza Saker, a long-time U.N. employee in Rome, and Joumana Farho, her cook, sought ways to help those back home. Farho, known for her “divine” cooking, and Saker, adept at networking, started by hosting dinners at Saker’s home. The proceeds were sent to Syria. “My house had become a bit of, you know, a restaurant, a home restaurant. But it was fun. We felt useful,” Saker said.
HummusTown began with 45,000 euros ($48,670) raised through crowdfunding. It now employs 13 full-time and 10 part-time staff at its kitchen kiosk near Rome’s train station and a small bistro, with plans to open a restaurant. The group also organizes cooking classes, cultural events, summer aperitifs, and caters for events in Rome. Each month, they donate food to the homeless and last year, they raised 40,000 euros for victims of the earthquakes that struck Syria on February 6, 2023.
As more refugees arrived in Rome, Saker and Farho shifted their focus to providing Syrian asylum-seekers with work and a support network. Their mission now includes all vulnerable people, including Italians. One of their employees, Mayyada al-Amrani, is a Palestinian woman who fled Gaza with her daughter, who is receiving cancer treatment. Al-Amrani spends her days rolling traditional spiced rice into grape leaves, working alongside other Syrian and Palestinian cooks. While she earns money to support herself and her daughter in Italy, she worries about her five other children in Gaza.
Fadi Salem, HummusTown’s manager, is a Syrian refugee from Damascus who arrived in Rome in 2022 after living in Lebanon for seven years. Salem discovered HummusTown through Rome’s Syrian community and found it to be a new family. “I found integration through HummusTown instead of finding it through the migration centers,” he said. Working there allows him to practice Italian, English, and Arabic daily, helping him integrate more smoothly.