Syrian refugee sharing story through food

LANCASTER, Pa. (WHTM) — A historic farmers market is now a hub for chefs. Lancaster’s Southern Market is a place where people from across the globe can share their culture.

“This is the lamb I have here,” vendor Mohammad “Mo” Khilo said, going through his warming pans. “For now I have chicken shawarma, I have lamb shawarma, I have the gyro meat.”

The lull between lunch and dinner at Southern Market is when Khilo takes stock, making sure he has everything he needs for the evening rush.

“Carrots, cucumber, red pepper, and some pita for dipping,” he ticks off — that’s for the hummus.

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Khilo has been at Southern Market for nearly two years, but he is about to celebrate a different milestone: eight years in Lancaster and the United States.

“I came here as a refugee in 2015 and became [an] American citizen in 2021,” he said.

Khilo’s family arrived as Syrian refugees and brought their culture — and food — with them.

“Growing up, I learned a lot from my mother,” Khilo said. “I enjoy all the food, the flavors she makes. It’s one of my favorite foods.”

It was a reminder of home in a place where there weren’t many.

“For a long time, it wasn’t a lot of Middle Eastern restaurants in Lancaster,” Khilo said.

He set out to change that.

“Why not bring these flavors here to parts of Lancaster?” he said.

Still, he did not see himself as a chef at first when he opened Layali El Sham in Southern Market in 2022.

“What that means is nights of Damascus in Arabic,” he said.

After a year went by, however, Khilo’s mindset started to change.

“[I] fell in love with the food, cooking, and that kept me motivated and that’s why I’m still here,” he said.

He serves much of the food he grew up eating at his stall.

“Falafel, hummus, it would be like a regular, basic breakfast for us and with olives, za’atar herb,” Khilo said.

His customers’ reactions though are anything but basic.

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“A lot of people have been saying to me it’s the best hummus they ever had, so that makes me feel proud,” he said.

For Khilo, food is how people find connections.

“If you never heard about people’s stories and if you’ve never heard, like break bread with people, you would never get along or get to know them better,” he said.

He is sharing his story and his culture with people in the Midstate, and one day, he hopes he can share his own restaurant.

“It’s being part of the American dream, you know. You come here, you start, you work hard and hope for the best,” he said.

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