BERLIN – A Syrian refugee’s bakery has been a hit in Berlin, giving refugees a taste of home and Germans a chance to try a new cuisine.
Four years have passed since Tamem Al-Sakka and his family fled Homs, Syria’s third biggest city, which became a rebel bastion early in the war that started in 2011.
Suffocated by a long army siege, the city saw fierce fighting that pushed many of its residents to leave everything behind and run.
The family of 16 – the three brothers, Salim, Rami and Tamem al-Sakka, with their parents, wives and children – first fled to Lebanon, then Egypt.
They made it to Berlin over two years ago with hopes for a better life, like more than 600,000 fellow Syrians who have gained safe haven in Germany.
Opening up his new business, Damaskus Konditorei, six months ago, Al-Sakka says that sales are going very well.
For now, home is just a sweet memory for the Sakkas.