Semsom Expands to New York With 1,500 Lebanese Family Recipes

posted on: Jul 21, 2015

It might not seem like New York needs another Middle Eastern fast-casual restaurant. But it certainly has more room for one than Lebanon.

That is where founder Christine Sfeir decided to open the first branch of Semsom, an eatery focused on homemade Lebanese cooking in a place where that is the norm, not the exception. She set out to distinguish herself from the many local spots by soliciting family recipes—more than 1,500 of them in the end—from villages around the country.

Ms. Sfeir said it was surprisingly easy to get people to turn over family secrets.

“A lot of people are not cooking anymore so if they don’t share it, it will die,” she said.

The effort shows in Semsom’s first U.S. location, which requires that Americans, accustomed to salty falafel and oily hummus, keep an open mind about what to expect of the dishes.

Source: www.wsj.com