Reem Assil

The Climb

At Laney College, Reem Assil built the first part of a practice that would later move from organizing into hospitality. Years spent as a community and labor organizer until 2010 shaped how she would read food: not as a stand-alone product, but as work tied to people, place, and mutual responsibility. By the time Reem's opened in 2017, that framework was already in place. Today, Reem Assil is chef and restaurateur, and founder and owner of Reem's California, titles that describe both the kitchen work and the larger project around it.

Today

Reem's California in San Francisco and Reem's California in Oakland extend that practice into brick-and-mortar form. Under Reem Assil, the restaurants function as more than retail operations; they operate as places where Arab foodways and community organizing meet in public view. The result is a clear position: food is not treated as decoration or a trend line, but as a means of holding culture, labor, and social purpose in the same frame. The dining room was named in Assil’s own words as an attempt to hold two things at once: the sensory detail of Damascus and Beirut, and a room that remains open to many cultures. “I wanted to recreate the sights, sounds, tastes and aromas of the streets of Damascus and Beirut, and at the same time a space that feels familiar and inviting to all cultures.” That brief is specific, and it tells you how the craft is being handled. The restaurant is built to carry memory without closing itself off, and to make hospitality legible as a shared civic act.

Signature

Reem's signature dishes include Mana'eesh, Basic Khobz (Arabic Bread), and Sayadiyah. In that lineup, the emphasis is on the fundamentals that anchor a kitchen: bread, staple food, and a dish with deeper regional weight. Reem Assil’s work keeps those forms central, using familiar preparations to carry tradition in a way that stays rooted in everyday eating.

In Their Words “I wanted to recreate the sights, sounds, tastes and aromas of the streets of Damascus and Beirut, and at the same time a space that feels familiar and inviting to all cultures.” “I wanted to bring more than just a bakery.”

Recognition

Reem's honors include James Beard Award Best Chef: West semi-finalist, StarChefs San Francisco Rising Stars Award Winner (2019), San Francisco Magazine Chef of the Year, and San Francisco Chronicle Rising Star Chef (2017). Read together, those recognitions point to work that has been noticed for more than flavor alone. They track a kitchen practice with discipline behind it, and with a stated purpose that extends beyond the plate.