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"If I don’t have $20 for a day," he says, "it is going to be okay. I will have it the second day...nothing is going to be worse than losing life and losing love." Yassin’s Falafel House is known as a friendly place, welcoming to all – regardless of religion, gender or ethnicity – and a place where second chances are celebrated. Yassin explains, "We always need people around us to give us the opportunity to be successful. I’m a personal story of people giving me an opportunity. If people didn’t believe in me or give me opportunities to be a success, I would never be a success, even if I wanted." It’s this recipe that has caused the community, both locally and nationally, to acknowledge there is something special, something different happening at Yassin’s Falafel House. Since officially opening in 2014, Yassin has received many awards and honors which include the Knoxville Rotary Club’s Peace Award, the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Person of the Year, and the Nicest Place in America – a collaborative contest organized by 10Best, Reader’s Digest and Good Morning America.
VEGAN OPTIONS & GLUTEN-FREE RECIPES
Yassin Terou and his staff are here to make sure every detail of your visit is as best as it can be. Located in the central downtown Knoxville area, their restaurant occupies the corner of Walnut St. and W. Church Ave., convenient walking distance from Gay Street and Market Square and many other downtown landmarks.
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Yassin’s Falafel House in Knoxville, Tenn. is known in the community not just as a favorite restaurant but as a second home and a safe space for all. Owner Yassin Terou immigrated to the United States in 2011 as a Syrian refugee seeking asylum. "We are members of this community, and we have been here for a very long time. But we've never had a chance to showcase who we are. So that's what we are trying to do. We want to educate the students and the community here about what the Arab world is," said Susan Dakak, from the Arab American Club of Knoxville. He believes that despite our many differences, whether they be in the way we look, what we believe or the languages we speak, that "we can respect and love each other" while working "to build and protect this country altogether...if we all focus on our personal business but provide love to others, that’s the best life we can have." Hunar devoted himself to learning the English words for each of the falafel ingredients and proving himself to be a dedicated employee, eventually working his way up to supervisor. "I’m very happy for him. He’s buying a house now and had another child. He is living his American Dream right now and for me to see this guy’s success was also a big dream [come true]."
We all deserve a second chance
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The Arab American Club of Knoxville is a group dedicated to sharing Arab culture with the Knoxville community and teaching people across the area about it. With an opening ceremony that includes Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, before introducing the club's board. "We're all a lot of fun people. All of us are just full of fun and excitement, and excited to share our our culture, and heritage, and history, and the food, and the music," said Lina Shatara, from the Arab American Club of Knoxville. Yassin, grateful for the life he has built in America, often references the American Dream, but it’s not the one those of us born and raised here often envision – lots of money and success. And so he is committed to doing the same by offering opportunities and second chances to those who want them. Yassin works closely with community organizations, like Bridge Refugee Services and the YWCA, to employ not just other refugees and immigrants, but also former convicts, recovering addicts and individuals escaping domestic abuse.
This experience led to a friendship with a man who believed in Yassin and would later help him fund the opening of his restaurant. While the story of Yassin’s success is certainly special, it’s not these events that make the experience at Yassin’s Falafel House so memorable – it’s the attitude and environment he has created here. Yassin’s recipe for success – mixing all the good from back home with the good here – is also how he describes his falafels. "The taste is almost like what you would eat in Syria but with a little bit of the new community. Food is like life. You have stuff you love back home and things you love here. If you mix it together, you will get the best recipe, the best life."
ArabFest 2024 kicks off in Market Square on Saturday with dancing, arts and a falafel eating contest
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Market Square will light up on Saturday for festivities that include dancing, music, a fashion show and a falafel eating contest. To 10 p.m., all as a way to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month before it comes to an end. People always want to know how Yassin can remain so full of love and positivity in the face of so much struggle. Coming from a war zone where people lose their lives everyday, Yassin fully understands "it can be worse." But instead of letting this understanding bring him down, it helps him to put life in perspective each day.
VEGAN OPTIONS & GLUTEN-FREE RECIPES
He is no stranger to having limited options or fearing for his life and the lives of his loved ones, so he has blended love, second chances and inclusion into the recipe of his restaurant. He believes that if we "mix together" all the good from "back home" with all the things we love here, each one of us "will be the best person ever." The free falafel eating contest will begin, and winners will get a $100 gift card. The food will be provided by Yassin's Falafel House, and a maximum of ten people can compete.
Yassin's Falafel House owner reacts to Trump travel ban decision - Knoxville News Sentinel
Yassin's Falafel House owner reacts to Trump travel ban decision.
Posted: Wed, 27 Jun 2018 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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