As the sun set, a Palestinian-owned coffee shop in Los Gatos lit up with life as dozens of people observing Ramadan stopped by to break their fasts last Saturday.
Kenz Coffee Bar operates out of a trailer across the street from Leigh High School and next to the recreational and educational organization Bay Area Muslim Recreation, or BAMREC. During the month of Ramadan, they put on a series of events, launching new coffee flavors and hosting a food truck iftar for people observing Ramadan. Mohammad Subeh, an emergency room doctor and owner of Kenz, said he wanted to hold these events to bring people together and create a sense of community, since he felt that people were becoming more isolated in the last decade or so.
“It’s really to open up a space for people to be here amongst their fellow human beings, to learn from one another, and also to not turn a blind eye to a lot of the struggles that people face — not only locally, but abroad,” Subeh said.
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, recognizing the month when the Quran was believed to be revealed to the prophet Muhammad. Muslims who observe Ramadan abstain from food and water from dawn until sunset. Iftar references the evening meal when they end their fast. According to a study on the Bay Area Muslim community led by professors at Santa Clara University and UC Berkeley, around 250,000 people in the Bay Area, or 3.5%, are Muslim.
The area was decorated with a Palestinian flag hanging by the counter and string lights and crescent moons hanging from the awnings. A table of dried dates and bottled water was set out for people to break their fasts and mats were unfurled for people to pray on. YSG HALAL YeeShaans Grubb parked a food truck in the parking lot and served burgers and loaded fries while Crepivore owner Ryan Fradj cooked up crepes for dessert.
This wasn’t the first time a Ramadan event was held at the coffee shop. Subeh came to the U.S. as a refugee, and he said his parents taught him and his siblings to understand the responsibility that comes with their privileges. Since October 2023, Subeh has been using the space to educate the public about the struggles of Palestinians, and last year, their Ramadan fundraiser raised money to provide aid and nutrition to people in Gaza. Subeh said they also worked with several non-governmental organizations, like Heal Palestine, to help evacuate children and provide food, healthcare supplies and education children and others affected by the war in Gaza.
“Having a coffee shop is a privilege. Being able to create these spaces is a privilege, and so we don’t use it just to create experiences that are comfortable for us,” Subeh said. “It’s really pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones to make sure that our fellow human beings that are not living with the comforts that we enjoy can have a voice, can be heard, can be seen.”
Mai Nass, a BAMREC experience designer, added that as Muslims observe Ramadan, they are not indulging in things that are usually permissible, like food, and it gives their community some insight in what less fortunate people are experiencing around the world, while also helping them build discipline and accomplish things they may not think they can do.
Nass said that she hoped the event would inspire people to develop a connection with the shop and come back to more events in the future.
And as people spent time with their loved ones during the iftar, they reflected on how observing Ramadan brought them closer to their communities and to their religions.
Wadia Mahzabeen, a 27-year-old Oakland resident, attended the event with her friend and her friend’s mom. Normally, she would be breaking her fast with friends or they will all go to a mosque to eat, but her friend had seen Kenz’s event online and they decided to go.
She said that observing Ramadan has helped her align better with her values and be more intentional about how she was spending her time and how she interacted with others. This year, her focus was on community.
“Usually, this holiday has been very tied to my family, so it’s been really special to have other ways to access these parts of me that are outside of just my family,” Mahzabeen said.
Omar and Tarek Dahbour, 17-year-old twin brothers from San Mateo, said they attended Kenz’s event because it allowed them to see their old friends and expand their network while celebrating their religion and helping out small businesses. Tarek Dhabour said that he aimed to stay off social media as much as possible and be respectful to elders and younger people, while Omar Dhabour said that he used the time to get closer to his religion.
“Fasting certainly isn’t easy, but it lets you know that other people are doing it, too and that you can celebrate with them and enjoy this time and self-reflection,” Omar Dhabour said.
Subeh expanded on the purpose of Ramadan in connection to Kenz. The name was chosen by his son, from the Arabic word meaning treasure, referencing to how roasting coffee unlocks the “treasure” inside the beans. Likewise, the month of Ramadan gives Muslims the opportunity to “unlock the treasure” that’s inside themselves.
“It’s important for us to continue to discover that in ourselves, and in our fellow human beings,” Subeh said.