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Our Story
The Story Behind Al-Maida (The Table Spread)
The story of Al-Maida began not in a kitchen, but in a college classroom in 1995. My father, then a determined student in his final year of an entrepreneurial studies course, had poured his heart into a business plan for a halal soul food restaurant. It wasn’t just a class project—it was a vision, complete with a pro forma income statement, inspired by his cultural roots and love for flavorful, nourishing food. He presented it as his final paper and earned an A. But he didn’t stop there.
Instead of filing the paper away or chasing the dream himself, he did something unexpected. He entrusted the business plan to my mother, with a quiet request: “Hold on to this. One day, give it to our son—when the time is right.”
I was just a teenager then, too young to grasp the weight of what he was passing down. Life moved on, as it does. Years went by. The paper waited.
Eventually, that “right time” came.
I had grown up and carved out my own path—one lined with pots, pans, and passion. I became a chef. And not just any chef. I worked hard, learned from every dish, and rose through the ranks to become the executive chef of a prestigious restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia.
Then one day, out of the blue, my father reentered my life.
He flew down to Atlanta and stayed with me for several days. He shadowed me everywhere I went—through bustling kitchens, food markets, pop-ups, and late-night culinary brainstorming sessions. He watched the way people responded to my cooking, how I came alive behind a stove, how I seemed to carry the essence of something bigger in every dish I prepared.
After witnessing it all, he looked at me, eyes full of admiration, and said, “Man, if I could strap a kitchen to your back, we could get rich!”
I laughed and replied, “We might not be able to strap a kitchen to my back… but we can invest in a food trailer—and get the same results.”
And just like that, Al-Maida—“The Table Spread”—was born again. But this time, it wasn’t just an idea on paper. It was a legacy come to life. A dream passed from father to son, seasoned with time, sacrifice, and love.
From a final exam in 1995 to a food trailer rolling through the streets of Atlanta, Al-Maida is more than a business. It’s a story of generational vision, reconnection, and the power of food to bring people—and family—back together again.
