Flora Quintana and Hasan Alwarhani met in March of 2011 when they both lived and worked in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Quintana was working as a pastry chef for a five-star hotel, and Alwarhani was a lifeguard and surf instructor at a famous water park of the same hotel chain.
“We decided to move to Wellington, New Zealand, on June 2013 when I found a job in a cafe, and I was able to obtain a work visa and apply for a partnership visa for Hasan,” shared Quintana.
Alwarhani began working as a lifeguard at an aquatic centre in Wellington. However, the pair decided to start their own company Damascus in 2017.
Damascus had a humble beginning as the pair started with a gazebo, a few tables, and a pizza oven serving manakish, which Quintana described as a middle eastern empanada of which there were two flavours.
Quintana and Alwarhani served samples at the Cuba Street Night Market to build a customer base. This evolved into the pair being able to find at the Wellington Harbourside Market on Sunday mornings. Soon they started participating in every event they could, such as Island Bay Festival, Newtown Festival, and Cuba Dupa.
As the pair grew their business, they began renting a commercial kitchen at the Vogelmorn Bowling Club, one of the club trustees mentioned they could run a cafe there during the day from Thursday to Saturday. The pandemic changed everything. They adapted their menu for delivery and takeaway and became a BYO restaurant operating Thursday and Saturday nights only.
Popularity around Damascus grew, and it found a permanent home in September of 2022, while throughout their journey Quintana and Alwarhani welcomed two children, Tamara and Rafi.
“Our love for food and cooking inspired us to start our business. We were dreaming of having a food truck, but we decided to take the opportunity to run our place because we felt it was time to be our bosses and support our small family. We love getting the kids involved in the business and showing them there is no success without making sacrifices.”
Damascus food is mostly Syrian cuisine, with other Middle Eastern dishes intertwined. Quintana has maintained baking cakes since her time as a pastry chef, whereas Alwarhani is responsible for savoury. Alwarhani is passionate about sharing beautiful things from his country. While Syria was going through civil war, Alwarhani hoped to change people's thoughts about his home country.
Quintana and Alwarhani stated that the changes of covid and increasing inflation would be an industry struggle moving forward.
“We are also struggling with the fact that wages increase, GST, and suppliers increase their prices, but we cannot increase the prices of the dishes we make because customers will only see the difference in the price and think it is too expensive. Some people don’t realise there is so much more behind a plate of food than meets the eye.”
For those looking to break through in hospitality, the pair stated that it was essential to keep an open mind and learn from others and understand that working within the industry requires a level of sacrifice that one must be prepared to make.
“Take into account that is hard work and dedication. To succeed, you must sacrifice many days off, birthdays and special events.”
However, they also shared that the industry gives a tremendous opportunity for growth and that bringing joy to the lives of others was incredibly rewarding.
For the future, the family hopes to perfect every aspect of the business and restaurant, to be known for making great food and drink and delivering exceptional customer service. Eventually, they wish to invest in other companies and have more time to spend with their children.
“We would love to thank everyone for supporting us since the beginning. We feel fortunate with all the love and support we often receive via email and reviews.”
