Latest news with #Dyafa
San Francisco Chronicle
08-07-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Nationally acclaimed bakery is finally returning to Oakland
Five years after leaving Oakland, an acclaimed chef is making her return to the city that jump-started her career. Reem Assil will open an outpost of her eponymous Arab bakery, Reem's, in Jack London Square this fall. It's not far from where Reem's first opened in the Fruitvale neighborhood in 2017 and garnered national attention for its marriage of Arabic and California cooking, as well as its owner's activist streak. Despite closing its original Fruitvale location in 2020, 'we've always kept an Oakland following,' Assil said. 'They're just waiting for us to come back.' The new bakery at 85 Webster St. will become a central hub, fueling Reem's current restaurant in the Mission District and its wholesale retail business selling frozen flatbreads to grocery stores and popular chocolate chip cookies to local cafes. Most of the 3,000-square-foot space, last occupied by Timeless Coffee, will be used for production, with windows to let customers see employees mixing dough and baking flatbreads. A small cafe in the front with limited seating will serve a concise menu of dishes like herb-strewn mana'eesh (flatbreads), dips with impossibly fluffy pita bread, and coffee for lunch and dinner. It will resemble a mostly takeout-focused Reem's that recently closed at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Assil is familiar with Jack London Square — the new space is across from where she once ran modern Arabic restaurant Dyafa — though it comes with new challenges. The waterfront landmark has seen a flurry of post-pandemic closures in recent years, including restaurants and the longtime Waterfront Hotel. 'Jack London Square has always been this, do we take the risk? But I've always believed when you have a good anchor, that place gets really enlivened,' she said. Assil hopes the Oakland space will bring to life her longtime plan to use a central commissary kitchen to open small, kiosk-like outposts of Reem's throughout the Bay Area. A yearslong effort to convert Reem's to worker ownership will also finally materialize. The Oakland bakery will be worker-owned when it opens, and the Mission District Reem's will move to worker ownership. Assil, a former labor organizer, first launched her business through culinary incubator La Cocina. She went on to open Dyafa, a second Reem's in San Francisco and the now-closed Ferry Building outpost. She was a finalist for the James Beard Foundation's outstanding chef award in 2022.
Zawya
14-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Saudi: Ensana, Dyafa to develop health spa resort in Al-Ahsa
Saudi Arabia - Ensana, Europe's leading health spa and wellness hotel group, has entered a strategic partnership with Saudi-based hospitality operator Dyafa and the Municipality of Al-Ahsa to develop and operate a 224-room health spa resort in Ain Najm, located in the historic city of Al Hofuf, Eastern Province. The collaboration was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking a step forward in establishing Al-Ahsa as a premier destination for medical wellness and therapeutic tourism in the Kingdom. The project, set to operate under the Ensana brand, represents a fusion of global wellness expertise and local hospitality excellence. Ensana brings its legacy of integrative health therapies, clinical-grade spa treatments, and international marketing reach, while Dyafa contributes deep operational capabilities, a culturally attuned guest experience, and an extensive presence in the Saudi market. Backed by the Ministry of Tourism and with full support from the Municipality of Al-Ahsa, the resort aims to deliver transformative wellness experiences rooted in both advanced health science and local heritage. 'The Municipality of Al-Ahsa is proud to champion this transformative project, which integrates international excellence with local ambition,' said Esam AlMulla, Mayor of Al-Ahsa. 'By empowering partnerships with world-class operators like Ensana and Dyafa, we are creating new economic opportunities and placing Al-Ahsa on the global tourism map.' 'This project marks an important milestone for Ensana's expansion into the Middle East,' said Frank Halmos, CEO of Ensana. 'Ain Najm will offer a unique blend of evidence-based health spa therapies and Al-Ahsa's natural charm — a destination for those seeking holistic healing in an authentic setting.' 'We are proud to partner with Ensana to bring world-class wellness experiences to Saudi Arabia,' said Hammad AlHammad, Founder and CEO of Dyafa. 'This resort is not only a celebration of Al-Ahsa's rich heritage but also a step forward in realizing Vision 2030's ambition to redefine Saudi hospitality through innovation and international collaboration.' -TradeArabia News Service Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Trade Arabia
13-05-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Ensana, Dyafa to develop health spa resort in Al-Ahsa
Ensana, Europe's leading health spa and wellness hotel group, has entered a strategic partnership with Saudi-based hospitality operator Dyafa and the Municipality of Al-Ahsa to develop and operate a 224-room health spa resort in Ain Najm, located in the historic city of Al Hofuf, Eastern Province. The collaboration was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking a step forward in establishing Al-Ahsa as a premier destination for medical wellness and therapeutic tourism in the Kingdom. The project, set to operate under the Ensana brand, represents a fusion of global wellness expertise and local hospitality excellence. Ensana brings its legacy of integrative health therapies, clinical-grade spa treatments, and international marketing reach, while Dyafa contributes deep operational capabilities, a culturally attuned guest experience, and an extensive presence in the Saudi market. Backed by the Ministry of Tourism and with full support from the Municipality of Al-Ahsa, the resort aims to deliver transformative wellness experiences rooted in both advanced health science and local heritage. 'The Municipality of Al-Ahsa is proud to champion this transformative project, which integrates international excellence with local ambition,' said Esam AlMulla, Mayor of Al-Ahsa. 'By empowering partnerships with world-class operators like Ensana and Dyafa, we are creating new economic opportunities and placing Al-Ahsa on the global tourism map.' 'This project marks an important milestone for Ensana's expansion into the Middle East,' said Frank Halmos, CEO of Ensana. 'Ain Najm will offer a unique blend of evidence-based health spa therapies and Al-Ahsa's natural charm — a destination for those seeking holistic healing in an authentic setting.' 'We are proud to partner with Ensana to bring world-class wellness experiences to Saudi Arabia,' said Hammad AlHammad, Founder and CEO of Dyafa. 'This resort is not only a celebration of Al-Ahsa's rich heritage but also a step forward in realizing Vision 2030's ambition to redefine Saudi hospitality through innovation and international collaboration.'
