After spending six years as a ghost kitchen and catering business run out of a garage, Meezan Kitchen is rolling out a big change.
Owner and founder Layla Khafaga said the bakery will be built at the site of a former Stewart's in Niskayuna.
"We’re going to be baking on site, everything from scratch — we’re a from-scratch bakery," she said. "We’re also going to have a small coffee and tea selection. I envision it to be about 10-12 seats. People could come in [and] we’re going to have outdoor seating eventually, just a great place for the community to come together, enjoy delicious, fresh food.”
Born and raised in Chicago, Khafaga moved to Niskayuna after getting married in 2010 to her husband, who grew up in the Capital Region. She started out working in finance, then in real estate, before finally starting Meezan Kitchen in 2020.
Her current workspace is her Niskayuna home’s garage, which was fully redone to be a commercial kitchen.
“I left my corporate job right when COVID was happening," she said. "[I] had no idea COVID was around the corner, so we started in 2020. I realized retail was changing because of COVID and it was probably not the best time to start a storefront. So we figured let's take our garage, convert it into a commercial kitchen.”
Currently, Meezan Kitchen has a small staff of four, but Khafaga anticipates growing along with the expansion into a storefront. Meezan caters events throughout the Capital Region, and also sells products at Zaitoon Kitchen, a Mediterranean restaurant in Latham.
While Khafaga is glad to have the space she does, she's excited for the new space, which will include a full pita oven. She is also excited to serve one of her favorite Palestinian desserts: knafeh.
“It's shredded kataifi dough that everyone knows now because of Dubai chocolate, but it's that dough with a little ghee that we make in house, and it's toasted to perfection," she explained. "It's filled with a savory, lightly salted cheese, and topped with the orange blossom syrup that we also make in house. It'll come in a pan, a big serving pan or a mini individual one, and it needs to be eaten fresh, like I've said, and it has a crunch. If you love sweet and salty, that's the perfect dessert for you. it doesn't get more authentic than that for Palestinian cuisine.”
Khafaga hopes to be open by January. She envisions the café to be a space where the community can gather around food and other cultural experiences, too. As one of few woman-owned Middle Eastern establishments in the Capital Region, Khafaga wants Meezan Kitchen to educate customers on Arab culture.
"We're more than just everything you hear in the news," she said. "We're hospitable. Literally our motto is 'every order is like an extension of our table.' You go to an Arab's home, the one thing you're going to leave is full. You're going to be so full you can't breathe. I want to share that. I want to help in debunking all these stereotypes against us.”
Meezan Kitchen sources its olive oil from Palestinian farmers, and Khafaga wants to ensure Palestinian culture is fully present in her new storefront. She has also been vocal on social media against Israel’s actions in Gaza since October 2023.
“When everything first happened a few years ago in Gaza, I think I lost maybe 400 followers," she recounted. "For a small account, that's a lot, but I gained 1000. I gained the right followers and the right audience. So to me, I was I was never hesitant to speak up. I knew there was going to be repercussions of it, but the reward has been immense from doing that, and I don't regret it one bit.”
Khafaga’s motivation when founding Meezan Kitchen, and now growing her business has always been the same: keep her culture alive and share what she learned from those who came before her.
“My mom, her hands are like a machine," she said. "She makes like the perfectly shaped cookies and dough, and everything. I've spent so much time learning from her. Obviously, I grew up with her baking, helping in the kitchen, but all the authentic recipes are from her and from her mother, and from our family. I just can't wait to share it with everyone.”
