Syrian restaurant Tomah to reopen in Hamilton, after leaving former space due to rent increase

Mohamad Tomeh said he's excited to see customers and community again after he was forced to close his doors due to a rent increase earlier this year.

"What happened to me was hard, but [now] I'm focused on doing something new in Hamilton," he said.

His restaurant Tomah closed its location on Queen Street South in February after the landlord asked for almost $2,000 more in rent, on top the $3,700 he'd been paying. 

"All my family, their heart is broken now," he said at the time, adding then that he was considering starting up a food truck, as he'd have a hard time trusting a landlord again.

He spent most of his days since the February closure looking for a new space, until he found a new one on King Street, and is hopeful he can prevent the same thing from happening again. 

"Things are different now," he told CBC Hamilton. "Before, I didn't understand any English... Now, things are clear with my new contract." 

Tomeh is planning to reopen toward the end of the month, which coincides with the anniversary of the restaurant's opening day on August 26, 2019.

Their new location will not be too far from their previous one, at 242 King St. W.

'The secret to our success'

He said he's incredibly grateful to the Hamilton community for supporting the business, saying they are the "secret to our success."

His son Homam, who also works at the restaurant, agreed.

"They love us and support us all the time," he said.

The support from the community is evident. The restaurant's Instagram post announcing the news garnered more than 200 comments in just a few days, mostly from people happy to hear Tomah is coming back.

"The last thing you said to me was 'I'll be back. Just wait,'" said one person, "so glad to hear this. See you soon!"

"This is so exciting!!!!" said another.

Long family history of cheese making

Tomeh has owned restaurants for 20 years in Syria, Egypt and Canada and has made cheese for 30 years, as he comes from a family of cheese makers. 

He's had to start from zero many times, but his passion for food and cheese has remained intact.

He said he's always thinking about "upgrading" the family business and looking for ways to stay relevant in the market. 

He teaches these values to his six children and said he's always pushing them forward.

"We want to send a message for Canadians that Syrians are hard workers, [that] we can start anything, anywhere."

A new member of the team

Customers of Tomah can expect the return of some familiar meals when the restaurant reopens, but it will also be adding new "delicious and very original Syrian food" to the menu, said Homam.

The family's friend from Syria, Ayman Issa, who arrived to Canada a few months ago, will be joining the kitchen team when it opens its doors. It was previously only run by Tomeh and his wife.

Tomeh said he embraces the change, even ordering special equipment from Egypt that Issa, who is also an experienced chef, can use. 

In an interview translated by Tomeh from Arabic, Issa said he's looking forward to joining the restaurant and cooking delicious meals for the community. 

He said he wants city residents to experience what true, Syrian food tastes like.

Under this new roof, they'll be working as one big family, Tomeh and Issa added.