meet our family!
Our story begins in the 1980s; when our father and grandfather first immigrated to America and began opening up sub and fried chicken joints in Maryland. We grew up in these shops, watching our parents and grandparents work hard to make ends meet for their growing family. Food was central to our Palestinian and Jordanian family; both at work and at home. We were raised on steak and cheese subs as much as Zayt (Olive Oil) and Za’atar.
Growing up in our family restaurants, our parents would always stress the importance of education so that we could get good jobs, they wanted a different life for us. For a while, that’s exactly what we did, but something was missing. As we grew older, we began to appreciate our Arab-American heritage and culture. We wanted to find a way to share the flavors, generosity, and hospitality of the Middle East with our community. So in 2016, we left our corporate jobs and Z&Z was born - a farmer market stand selling Manoushe - a classic Middle Eastern street food starring Zayt and Za’atar.
We’ve grown a lot since then, but our goal hasn't changed - we want to share a small part of our Middle Eastern heritage with you.
