Coup d'envoi de 5 centres de santé dans la région de Dakhla-Oued Eddahab    Inondations à Valence : Karima Benyaich réaffirme les liens de solidarité entre Rabat et l'Espagne    La RAM réceptionne son dixième Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner    Ahmed Spins : L'étoile marocaine à l'affiche du Coachella 2025    Le Maroc augmente son quota de l'espadon de l'Atlantique-Nord et du thon obèse    La Chine prévoit de passer de la 5G à la 5G-A    Les programmes d'inclusion économique ne touchent que 10% des personnes les plus pauvres du monde    COP29 : Le Maroc signe une participation remarquable    COP29: 300 milliards de dollars par an pour financer l'adaptation climatique des pays en développement    Terrorisme : Le Maroc dans le viseur des jihadistes sahéliens    Pologne : Les agriculteurs bloquent un poste-frontalier avec l'Ukraine    PL : City humilié pour la 5e fois d'affilée (vidéos) !    Qualifs. Fiba Afro basket 25 : L'Equipe nationale s'incline pour la 3e fois !    Liga : Trois personnes arrêtées pour des insultes racistes lors du dernier « Clasico »    Investissement: Zidane en roadshow au Japon et en Corée pour promouvoir la destination Maroc    Grippe aviaire aux Etats-Unis: un premier cas détecté chez un enfant    Températures prévues pour le lundi 25 novembre 2024    Enquête : Les réseaux sociaux, nouvel outil d'éducation aux droits de l'enfant    AAHS : Un pôle d'innovation et de coopération au cœur de Dakhla    Températures prévues pour le dimanche 24 novembre 2024    Change : le dirham quasi-stable face à l'euro, se déprécie devant le dollar    Rabat : Visa For Music, une clôture au diapason des cultures du monde    MAGAZINE : Starlight, des jurés à juger    Cinéma : Mohamed Khouyi, un éclat marocain au Festival du Caire    Lamia Boumehdi conduit le TP Mazembe vers son 1er sacre    Un derby stérile, à l'image du championnat    Création d'un réseau Maroc-Mauritanie de centres d'études et de recherches    La justice allemande confirme que Berlin a divulgué à Mohamed Hajib, un ancien terroriste, des renseignements sensibles transmises par les services sécuritaires marocains    China Energy Construction s'occupera officiellement de la section 9 de la ligne à grande vitesse Kénitra-Marrakech pour 2,4 milliards de dirhams    SAR le Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan reçoit à Casablanca le Président chinois    Europe 1 : «L'arrestation de Boualem Sansal est l'occasion d'un réveil face aux réalités du régime algérien»    Amadou Lamine Diouf, non-voyant résidant au Maroc, élu député des Sénégalais de l'Afrique du Nord    Royal Air Maroc accueille un nouveau Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner pour renforcer ses long-courriers    Arrestation à Khémisset d'un individu pour ivresse publique, menaces et mise en danger de la vie d'autrui    Grogne contre la LNFP et appels à la protestation    Harry James Richer : «un impératif stratégique»    Atlas Marine va bientôt lancer une ligne maritime pour transporter des camions avec chauffeurs entre Agadir et Dakar    M. Motsepe se prononce sur le football féminin et le rôle du Maroc dans le développement du football en Afrique    Plus de 50 morts au Liban, Biden s'oppose à la CPI et soutient les criminels sionistes    Triomphe à la Palestine !    Diaspo #364 : Hasnaa Chihab, une vie consacrée au soutien des migrants et réfugiés en Italie    CMGP Group franchit le pas    CAN U20 : Le Maroc bat la Libye (4-0), valide son billet    AfroBasket 2025 : deuxième défaite consécutive du Maroc    Un hub des artistes et des professionnels de la filière musicale africaine    Les arts, l'avenir et les enjeux de l'IA...    Speed-meetings : le sésame des artistes à Visa For Music    Mohamed Khouyi remporte le prix du meilleur acteur au CIFF    







Merci d'avoir signalé!
Cette image sera automatiquement bloquée après qu'elle soit signalée par plusieurs personnes.



Café Mogador in East Village : A home away from home
Publié dans Yabiladi le 04 - 08 - 2017

In the middle of the most popular neighborhoods in New York, Rivka a Mogador native founded with her brother, Café Mogador, a home away from home where they recreated their mother's Moroccan recipes. The restaurant located in East Village, Manhattan is a warm place for all those who are in love with Moroccan food, culture and hospitality.
Café Mogador is a home away from home for Rivka Orlin, a Jewish woman who was born in the Moroccan coastal city Essaouira. In 1983, she founded with her brother one of the most popular restaurants in East Village Manhattan, a place where everybody is invited to enjoy the food and relax in a cozy atmosphere.
It all started for Rivka when she was living in Morocco with her parents and twelve siblings, a fascinating story that was narrated by Lee Oren, Café Mogador's Director of Operations. «Rivka was born in Mogador from a Jewish family but she moved to Israel in 1956» recalled Lee. 25 years later, she moved to New York, and most precisely East Village, which was considered back then a cultural hub that inspired many artists and musicians. «It was an underground area and there weren't a lot of restaurants around maybe there was a bar or two» Lee told Yabiladi.
Recreating her mother's recipes
Inspired by her childhood memories and recalling her mother's recipes, Rivka founded the restaurant with a very heartwarming idea in mind. According to Lee «Rivka's idea was to make the food she was growing up eating». Growing up in household where 12 kids were supposed to be fed was quiet a hard task for her mother, so Rivka was there whenever her mother was cooking. Although she did not know how to cook back then Rivka «used to spend time with her mom in the kitchen», said Lee.
«when she opened the restaurant she basically did everything by herself, cooking, washing dishes and serving the food. She did everything from A to Z», declared Lee. Café Mogador was a way of feeling at home again and remembering all the past memories in Morocco, so Rivka «just cooked the food that her mom used to make (…) she made Couscous, Tajine and Bastilla and some Middle Eastern food as well and no one in New York back then knew what Moroccan food is».
Expanding the family business
After gaining respect and popularity, Café Mogador was expanded. «5 years ago we opened another restaurant in Brooklyn in Williamsburg which is also successful and they are serving the same Menu», explained Lee who insisted that the two locations are notorious for being a «home away from home». It is all based on the feeling that one encounters when dining or having lunch in Mogador. Also the decoration is collected by Rivka, photos of her family, teapots and tagine pots sourced from Morocco. «It is very casual, a labor of love for her (Rivka)», stated Lee.
Indeed, the family business has been a magnet for almost every Hollywood star. Featured in magazines like Vogue, Time Out New York and the Interview, Lee told Yabiladi that the list is very long when it comes to the number of celebrities who have been to Café Mogador. «Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, Johnny Depp and Kevin Bacon were there». Not only that, a few series and movies were shot in the restaurant.
Everybody's welcome here
When asked about their regular customers, Lee said that they welcome everyone and that's what makes them so unique. «One of the things that we are proud of is that we are 'everybody's welcome there'».
As for the food, the two locations of Café Mogador, serve breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. The menu contains a range of Moroccan signature dishes such as, Couscous, Tagines, and Bastilla alongside other Middle Eastern goodies. Although the cuisine is Moroccan, Lee explained that they don't source products from the kingdom. «There isn't anything that we are sourcing from Morocco especially because you can really get everything here», she said adding that «however a lot of elements in the restaurant are from Morocco like the Tajine pots, the teapots and the Turkish coffee cups».
Café Mogador is indeed a very agreeable place for New Yorkers and even tourists. «Every week I get an email from customers that really love us and they are like oh you should really open a place like this in Los Angeles» said Lee with a happy voice. For the moment Café Mogador is open in Brooklyn and East Village, two pieces of Morocco, most precisely Essaouira in the USA.


Cliquez ici pour lire l'article depuis sa source.