Photo by Jensine Sajan
Meet the the man behind it all! Mr. Muthanna Nassir is a first-generation immigrant who arrived in America after a long, adventurous immigration journey that began in Yemen in the 1950s.
He traveled across the Gulf of Aden, all the way to Africa, and then to America in search of better job opportunities. Back in Yemen, jobs mostly consisted of working for the national government, working for local government, or working as a laborer. Mr. Nassir moved to Aden, Yemen, where he worked for a petroleum company.
Back in his day, rich Yemenis were moving to abroad for more opportunity and poorer Yemenis felt they too had to leave the country, since job opportunities in Yemen were thus decreasing. Usually, people found jobs outside of the country by word of mouth and through various networks. When Mr. Nassir was working in the ports of Djibouti for six months, a man named Salih Alkabutti called him over to Madagascar to take advantage of the better job opportunities there.
Even now, Mr. Nassir hires Yemeni immigrants to work in his restaurant because he knows the significance that networks hold, especially for immigrants like himself. For example, one waiter there now is a CPA, but works there so that he can support his family back home. According to Akram Nassir, one of Mr. Muthanna Nassir’s ten children and the manager of the Yemen Café at Atlantic Avenue, “Networks got bigger and people expanded. Everybody had their own stories to tell.” Mr. Muthanna Nassir is one of the many immigrants with such elaborate immigration stores.
Another major factor that drove Mr. Muthanna Nassir from place to place in his journey was his love for his family. While in Madagascar, he married his first wife and had three daughters there. After that, his journey was about supporting them and, later, the rest of his growing family along the journey.
A revolution occurred in 1972 by the Malagasy people against the French, who controlled the country then. Mr. Nassir and his family had to flee back to Yemen. He had a French passport and so he could flee from there, but he was ultimately restricted as to how many people he could bring back in one trip. He took two of his daughters and fled safely to Yemen.
This is a picture of Mr. Nassir’s and his family’s home back in Yemen. Photos from Yemen Café
When he tried to return to Madagascar to bring his third daughter back to Yemen, his wife’s family refused to hand her over to Mr. Muthanna Nassir, since his wife had died and his daughter was all his wife’s family had left. Even after settling in America, Mr. Nassir managed to track down his daughter in Madagascar and still keeps in contact with her to this day.
Yemeni culture is known for being centered around kinship and family. Even after being so successful with the Yemen Café on Atlantic Avenue and having his sons continue his legacy by opening another branch of the restaurant in Bay Ridge, Mr. Nassir continues to emphasize Yemeni hospitality with his large family and in his restaurant.
He personally knew the value of social networks and relationships and how that one connection could determine what comes next in an immigrant’s story. His son Akram understands this as well. As he was describing his father’s interactions with the customers here, Akram explained, “People would get off the plane from Yemen and they would be given the address to the Yemen Café. Once people got off the plane, they would come straight to the Yemen Café and they sat there with their suitcases. Then restaurant owners would talk to them. My dad would talk to them in Arabic and give them food, a place to stay, and help them get jobs.”
Fun Facts About Mr. Nassir:
1. He used to work in some of the world’s most famous restaurants before opening the Yemen Café. These include being a chef at Windows on the World on the top of the World Trade Center, the Rainbow Room, and Tavern on the Green in Central Park. Mr. Nassir left these jobs later because they served wine and cooked with alcohol, which went against his religious beliefs.
The interior of Windows on the World, which was located on the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Photo taken from Container List.
2. He also worked with some family and friends in other restaurants along Atlantic Avenue. These include Moroccan Star, Near East Restaurant, Atlantic House, Adnan Restaurant, Al Montaser, and San’aa Restaurant. In most of these restaurants, they served different kinds of foods, such as a fusion of French cuisines with some Yemeni dishes.
3. The reason Mr. Nassir opened Yemen Café was to bring pure, ethnic Yemeni food to the table rather than fusion cuisine. Some of the first dishes the restaurant served was Aseed, a traditional Yemeni dumpling served in gravy. This dish is still served today. Click here to learn more about the Yemeni food.
Some traditional Aseed with a salad on the side. Photo by Jensine Sajan
4. When the restaurant first opened, Mr. Nassir’s wife (Akram Nassir’s and Sideeq Nassir’s mother) helped run the restaurant with Mr. Nassir’s brother-in-law while Mr. Nassir was working at another restaurant. He would join them after his shift was over.
5. Mr. Nassir’s wife used to make the bread that was served to the customers herself in the early days of the restaurant.
6. When Mr. Nassir first opened the restaurant in June 1986, the restaurant was actually located downstairs (from where it is now) and was much smaller (only seating 20 people). When they expanded, they replaced the barber shop that was upstairs, and now there is a Middle Eastern travel agency located downstairs. To learn more about the plot of the Yemen Café, click here.
Yemen Cafe when it was located on the first floor on 176 Atlantic Avenue. [2]
Map It Out!
Use this interactive map to follow Mr. Nassir’s journey from Yemen to the Yemen Café! Click on each of the points to learn more about Mr. Nassir’s story in each location.
Sources for the Images:
“Alsahwa.net.” alsahwa Net : Intelligence official wounded in Aden. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/subjects_en.aspx?id=36559>.
“A Southern Madagascar Landscape by Nicholebartsch.” Redbubble. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://www.redbubble.com/people/nicolebartsch/works/7321848-a-southern-madagascar-landscape>.
“Central Park.” Tavern on the Green. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.<http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-do/attractions/tavern-on-the-green.html>.
[2]“MagicDongHuang. “Top 5 Dead or Alive.” Fresh off the Boat. N.p., 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 13 May 2014.
Gusti, Don. “Jeddah.” Cornich De Jeddah, a Photo from Makkah, East. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Middle_East/Saudi_Arabia/East/Makkah/jeddah/photo642972.htm>.
Ismail, Abdifatah S. “Ethio-Djibouti Relations To Union.” Ethio-Djibouti Relations To Union. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.<http://www.wardheernews.com/articles_08/August/Roob_Doon/10_Ethio_Djibouti_Relation.html>.
Reichl, Ruth. “Windows on the World.” NYMag.com. N.p., 27 Aug. 2011. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://nymag.com/news/9-11/10th-anniversary/windows-on-the-world/>.
“Rainbow Room.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Aug. 2014. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Room>.
[1]Sachs, Zachary. “The World of Windows On The World.” Container List. N.p., 24 Feb. 2012. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://containerlist.glaserarchives.org/index.php?id=215>.
“Yemen Cafe and Restaurant, Brooklyn.” Tripadvisor. N.p., 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60827-d426226-Reviews-Yemen_Cafe_and_Restaurant-Brooklyn_New_York.html>.
