Near the northern tip of Kaien Island in the city of Prince Rupert, in a metal-roofed building overlooking the ocean and Seal Cove Salt Marsh, there is a unique restaurant run by an inspiring family. The restaurant is Arabisk, and the family are the Zaitounis: dad Khaldon (Steve), mom Tehama, their sons Tamim and Obie, and the brothers’ partners, Sara and Shayna.
While Sara was born and raised in Prince Rupert and Shayna comes from Edmonton, the rest of the family are, in the words of Tamim, “from a few countries, but our nationality is Syrian.” Tamim and Obie were both born in Baghdad, Iraq and grew up mostly in Dubai, UAE; Khaldon is from Lebanon, and Tehama from Syria. The family is very educated – Khaldon is a CPA with a masters degree in accounting, while Tehama has a bachelors in French language and a masters in media.
But the family has also been shaped by war and migration. When the US invaded Iraq in 2003, the Zaitounis fled from Baghdad to Syria. In 2006, Khaldon got a job in Dubai and the family relocated there. When the Syrian conflict began in early 2011, for the safety and future of their sons, Khaldon and Tehama decided they had to move again.
And so in 2014, when Tamim was in Grade 8 and Obie in Grade 11, the family moved to Edmonton, Alberta. “It was pretty hard to swallow”, says Tamim. “It was such a different culture, different food, different lifestyle. At the time, Obie and I weren’t thankful at all, in fact we were pretty upset.” But nowadays, says Tamim, he can appreciate that “it was for our own good.”
Eventually, the family settled into Edmonton life. Everyone became fluent in English, and Obie met his partner Sara. But Tehama was not happy – she wanted to move to a smaller city with better weather. In the summer of 2019, Tehama and Khaldon took a vacation in BC, and fell in love with the environment, nature, and weather. Applying for jobs across the Province, and both were eventually hired by the Friendship House Association of Prince Rupert – Khaldon as financial manager, Tehama as manager of the French and preschool programs.
Khaldon and Tehama moved to Prince Rupert in late 2019, while Tamim, Obie and Sara came in early 2020. Tamim says he and Obie didn’t hesitate. “Our parents are our biggest supporters,” he says. “We would walk to the moon and back for them. They did us a big favour by coming to this country, we saw what they sacrificed, and that is something we’ll never forget or regret.”
Tamim vividly recalls his first impressions of Prince Rupert when he visited during Christmas time in 2019. “It took so long for me to get here!” he says. “I took a flight to Vancouver, then another flight, then a bus, then a ferry. It had very different vibes from Edmonton.”
In January 2020, Tamim, Obie and Sara rented a U-Haul truck and packed up all the family’s belongings. “My parents came to Rupert with two backpacks, they had left everything behind, so Obie, Sara and I had to take care of it all,” explains Tamim. “It was quite the journey. In Edmonton it was snowing when we left, and the roads were terrible, especially on the drive into Rupert. It wasn’t easy”, he says with a laugh.
But it didn’t take long for Prince Rupert to feel like home. “It really happened when we found jobs,” says Obie. Tamim found a position at the port coal terminal, while Obie worked at the local credit union. And both brothers were immediately impressed by the friendliness of the community. “People are so nice compared to the big city, they always say hello, in a small town like this everyone knows everyone,” says Obie.
And it was this infamous Prince Rupert community spirit that was the inspiration for their restaurant. When the the COVID-19 lockdown kept the community indoors, Tehama started teaching cooking classes over Zoom. “Over 100 families would join these classes,” says Tamim. “Our mother shared her food and culture with the community, and there was just so much support. People really believed in us.”
Opened in early 2023, Arabisk has proved immensely popular. Specializing in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, as well as the restaurant in Seal Cove, during the summer Arabisk also operates a stall at the container market by the cruise ship terminal, offering some of their bestselling menu items. As Obie explains, Prince Rupert is undergoing exciting changes. “Over the next five years Rupert will be booming, both in the economy and the population,” he says.
Now, the Zaitouni family have finally found a home. A year after opening the restaurant the family bought their own house, and now say there is no way they will ever move again. In their spare time, the family takes full advantage of Prince Rupert’s natural surroundings – they have two dogs, and do a lot of hiking, biking and boating. But most importantly, their family-owned restaurant is a success.
To anyone who is considering moving to the Northwest, Tamim says he would highly recommend giving it a shot. “There is way more here than people think,” he says. “There are friendly people, lots of culture and history, and such good food. Plus there is the beautiful environment and clean air. In Edmonton, I would sleep at night but wouldn’t feel energized when I woke up. Here, I sleep with the windows open and feel safe and good.”
More information on Arabisk can be found on their website. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
