Formerly of Daraa, Syria, Alkadah was a student of geography in his home country. With the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Alkadah initially sought refuge in Jordan before immigrating to the United States. More than a decade later, Alkadah is a restaurateur operating The Syrian Kitchen at 600 Business Loop 70 West, which opened on March 1, 2022.
On March 15, 2011, a conflict erupted between revolutionaries and the forces of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Eleven years and several military interventions later, more than 350,000 Syrian men, women and children have died, and the cities of Aleppo and Damascus became synonymous with tragedy. Yet, lost in all this constant conflict are the nearly 7 million Syrians who left in search of peace, like Alkadah.
In the short film “6,500 Miles From Daraa,” Alkadah chronicles his life story and takes the viewer behind the scenes of one of Columbia’s newest restaurants.
Originally published in the Columbia Missourian.
