Mohammad Abutaha is Palestinian but grew up in Amman, Jordan and moved to America when he was 20 years old to study mechanical engineering. In 2015, he dropped out of university in his final year to pursue his dreams of owning a restaurant. Mohammad started as a dishwasher and worked his way up the kitchen ladder, working in iconic kitchens around the Bay Area including Reem's California.
At the end of 2019, Mohammad and his brother Feras launched a shawarma pop-up, and then turned their pop-up into the brick and mortar restaurant Shawarmaji in December 2020. Since opening the restaurant in Oakland, CA Shawarmaji has been named in San Francisco Chronicle's Top 25 Restaurants and Esquire magazine's 2021 Best Restaurants.
Some of their featured dishes include: Slow-Roasted Chicken Shawarma Sarookh & Arabi style, Falafel Sandwich, and Lamb Sarookh.
Currently located in Oakland and Santa Clara, California . Listen until the end for more special updates on expansion/projects and about their spices and sauces for sale online which can be shipped to your door.
Shawarmaji
https://www.theshawarmaji.com
Special Thanks to Trifecta Cooks for sponsoring their space to record this podcast.
https://trifectacooks.catering/
Original Music by Ulises Bella of Ozomatli