Farah

When David and I opened Nohadra Food in Gurnee in February 2022, we were stepping into the unknown. We had a passion for bringing authentic Middle Eastern cuisine to our community, but we weren't sure who our regular customers would be. To our delight, we found that many of our customers are Muslim Americans from Iran, Morocco, and other Middle Eastern and Asian countries. This diverse clientele inspired us to expand our offerings, and earlier this month, we successfully launched a halal meat counter, meeting the dietary needs of many in our community.

Food and groceries have always been a family tradition for us. David's late parents, Namrod and Maria Oshana, operated restaurants in Chicago for 30 years before opening the first Nohadra grocery store on Devon Avenue 12 years ago. ""Nohadra"" is named after an outdoor market in the village of Duhok in upper Iraq, reflecting our deep roots and heritage. When Namrod and Maria's health began to decline, they sold their Chicago businesses and planned to open a store closer to their home in Lindenhurst. Tragically, they passed away within weeks of our Gurnee store’s opening.