Sisters run their own restaurant in Glasgow

A former asylum seeker and her sister are making dreams come true running their own restaurant in Glasgow.

The pair, who are both single mothers, have settled in the city and opened a Taste of Morocco on Great Western Road after saving up through multiple jobs.

Mum-of-two Sihab Lakouahi and her sister Fatima, who has rheumatoid arthritis, are originally from Morocco and now call Glasgow home after gaining UK citizenship.

Among a variety of roles, Sihab worked as a cleaner in the morning and delivery driver at night to help fulfil her ambition of being an entrepreneur.

She moved to the city on a visa in 2013 to join sibling Fatima, who had first  arrived as an asylum seeker alongside her ex-husband, who fled Egypt in 2000.

Juggling many jobs over the course of more than a decade in the city, 37-year-old Sihab saved up every penny to establish the business, which opened last June.

She said: ”I have worked as a cleaner in the morning and a delivery driver at night.

“I have also been employed as a cleaner in an Airbnb, in a restaurant and as a home carer.

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“I have saved and borrowed money and my father has helped me. I love having my own business. It was my dream.”

Sihab said she loves cooking the traditional Moroccan food for the eatery, which includes homemade bread.

However, she admits it is not easy, commenting: “It is difficult bringing up kids as a divorced mum and running a business.”

Big sister Fatima, a mum-of-three who is also divorced, described it as ”hard in the beginning” to settle in Glasgow but now considers it “home.”

Fatima (who doesn’t want to reveal her own name) said: “I love it. Everyone is very friendly. When I visit Morocco in the summer, I look forward to getting back.”

Commenting on how working in the business impacts her life, the 47-year-old said: “It is good to be independent.”

Chair of the Scottish Iraqi Association Faten Hameed, also chair of Glasgow Conservatives, said: “This is an example of single women coming to settle with their children who did not want to depend on the state. They had to work four or five jobs. The vast majority of ethnic minorities and asylum seekers want to contribute to society.

“This is a country of opportunity and these people are grateful and want to contribute to this society. This is how this country will flourish with the experiences of people from different countries.”