A mum-of-three has opened a new Yemeni kitchen as a way of paying tribute to her stepfather. Leila Shamsan, 32, has set up Yemeni-western fusion restaurant Shamshack from the kitchen at Cardiff's Butetown Community Centre after her stepdad encouraged her to do it before he died of Covid.
Leila, 32, started selling traditional Yemeni food to friends and family during the coronavirus pandemic but only decided to make a real go of it after stepdad Cyril Payne's death aged 60, the Cardiffian reports. With financial backing from her mum Samira Salter, and the help of childhood friend Dee in the kitchen, the former waitress has made her dream a reality and hopes her venture can bring young people in the community together.
Since opening on March 3, Leila and Dee have been helping serve hungry children hot meals for free, operating a no questions asked policy, and offering a discount for pensioners and NHS workers. She said: "During this cost-of-living crisis, we’ve seen kids that we can tell are less fortunate – we give them free food. I guess it’s just maternal instinct; both Dee and I are mothers.”
