�In this moving debut collection, restaurateur Alarnab writes plaintively of migrating from Syria � His unvarnished descriptions of the immigrant experience (�We were cold, exhausted, afraid of what came next�)�are movingly rendered and segue smoothly into recipes where generosity is the watchword � Instructions are clear and thoughtful throughout, but it�s the author�s personal experiences that make this heartfelt cookbook shine." ��Publishers Weekly
�In July 2015, restaurateur Alarnab bade farewell to his family and fled his beloved Damascus � Damascene cuisine will seem familiar to anyone experienced in Middle Eastern cooking, but the particular flavors that infuse Alarnab�s hummus, baba ganoush, fattoush salad, falafel, kuftah, tabbouleh, kibbeh, and much more reflect his own take on Syrian traditions � Recipes are clear, and many questions may be answered by the color photographs. But the beating heart of this cookbook is the saga of Alarnab�s escape � Anyone who wants to know what it means to be a refugee will be staggered by Alarnab�s harrowing account.� � Booklist