ROCHESTER, N.Y. — For numerous Yemeni cafe owners, their late-night patrons represent more than just coffee, symbolizing hospitality, connection and community — all while celebrating a sacred month of Ramadan.
Even finding a spot to sit can seem like an extreme sport, and that is because for years, Zaka Ansari and his daughters say finding these spaces locally for Muslims was once never an option.
“I grew up here and was born in Rochester and the community was not that big ever,” Halal Bites event coordinator Wania Ansari said. “And so seeing the community grow over time has been so fun. We’ve never had our own restaurants here in Rochester, like my family would always travel to Buffalo or Canada to have it. And so, luckily, my dad opened up ‘Halal Bites.’ And so once we opened, there’s so many more restaurants that are just developing here. And so it’s good to see that a lot of places are coming together, especially for the Muslim community.”…