Reem Assil at Feast Portland
b'Dana Cowin welcomes Oakland baker/chef Reem Assil to the StreamPDX trailer to talk about her amazing journey from community and labor organizer to owner of Food + Wine\\u2019s Best Restaurant of the Year 2018. They discuss some of Reem\\u2019s signature street food dishes, Arab hospitality and why \\u201crevolutions are born in cafes and bakeries.\\u201d\\n\\nReem Assil is the owner of Reem\\u2019s California \\u2013 Food & Wine\\u2018s Best Restaurant of the Year 2018 \\u2013 a tribute to Arab street-corner bakeries and the vibrant communities that surround them. She is also owner and Chef of Dyafa, a fine dining restaurant that celebrates the breadth and depth of Arab culture and cuisine. Reem\\u2019s restaurants are inspired by her Palestinian-Syrian upbringing surrounded by aromas and tastes of food from the homeland and the connections they evoked of her heritage, family, and community. Before dedicating herself to a culinary career, Reem worked for a decade as a community and labor organizer, and is dedicated to social justice as a core value of her businesses. She has worked with Bay Area\\u2019s esteemed cooperative bakery Arizmendi Bakery & Pizzeria, Grace Street Catering, Penelope Bar & Lounge, and several other local Bay Area chefs. Reem was a James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: West 2018 and San Francisco Chronicle\\u2019s Rising Star Chef 2017.'