Food is the best sensorial representation of our circumstances, culture and background. It is through food that communities and their untold histories are shared with the rest of the world. To Tarek Daka, introducing Manhattan to Palestinian cuisine through Qanoon, one of Chelsea’s newest and most popular restaurants, is a labor of love and an ode to his roots and family. “I grew up in a Palestinian town in Israel, the youngest of nine siblings. Though our circumstances were humble, we were always well nourished in body and soul. The secret of our family[‘s] wellbeing lies in my mother, Rasmyee, and her cooking. My mother is a true celebration of the culture of Palestine, our love for food, and taking care of the people around you. She shaped my palette,” he once wrote of his earliest culinary memories. Founded last year, Qanoon—which gets its name from the Palestinian term for grill and its homonym Qanun, a Middle Eastern string instrument—is one of the few Palestinian-owned restaurants in New York City and by far the most successful owing to Daka’s background in business and finance and previous ventures in the restaurant business, including…
Qanoon: Manhattan’s New Massively Popular Palestinian Restaurant
February 11, 2020
