OUR
STORY
In Lebanese and other Arabic contexts, Maïsa (ميساء) means "one who walks in pride and elegant gait" or "graceful walk". It is a feminine name that evokes dignity, grace, and confidence.
Maïsa is a story of two tales.
Firstly, it represents a cherished memory of our homeland in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon; from a time when our forefathers’ proud walk in life was building up and tending to their families.
They were a generation that carried the heavy plows in sweltering heat without complaint; from an era when the family labored in the fields. This was the generation of my grandfather and his father, Kabalan and Abdo Bsaibes. Handed down from father to son, Maïsa was the name given to their plot of land in which they cultivated a vineyard for table grapes. Maïsa was like their daughter, nurtured with their love and tended to with gentle care. Nestled in the heart of the fertile valley, its harvest was legendary. Over the years its output gave my family the income to raise multiple generations of children.
The second tale continues with our immigration to San Diego in the early 2000’s. This time is was my maternal grandparents whose proud walk in life was their steadfast support of my parents’ new venture in opening their first ever restaurant. My grandmother, Nouha Saidy, equipped with all the talents that go into conjuring delectable Lebanese foods, assisted my mother in formulating all our recipes. My grandfather, Elias Abou Farah, was firstly an entrepreneur who pushed them in taking the risk. He was also very talented in all things meat related, from fabrication to the art of kebab and shawarma making. Hand in hand, they grew the restaurant and the business flourished. Decades later, I reflect on their hard work in laying the foundation for our success today.