Housed in a restored heritage house in the Lebanese capital, Beit Kanz is the culmination of the work of the NGO Beit El Baraka, which has been working since 2019 to restore the dignity of Lebanese citizens living in poverty today.
Built thanks to charitable donations, the restaurant and craft shop are all part of a vast, wide-ranging project aimed at providing stable, reliable work for as many people as possible, while promoting and safeguarding the country's cultural heritage.
Beit Kanz was designed and built in only eighteen months, following the explosion in the port of Beirut. The NGO Beit El Baraka became involved in the reconstruction of the city with a team of 372 builders and craftsmen who undertook the restoration of more than 3,000 flats, as well as the premises of nearly 700 small businesses, seven schools and 21 heritage buildings, including the property that now houses Beit Kanz.
The restaurant works on a short circuit, with Beit El Baraka farms employing local farmers. The restaurant also employs over 1,000 women in more than 50 rural villages, producing Beit Kanz's 'moune' - traditional Lebanese preserves that have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as it has become increasingly difficult to maintain fridges and freezers in the face of frequent power cuts.
At the same time, the kitchen team is made up of young hotel and catering students, many of whom dream of leaving a country where job prospects are close to zero in Lebanon.
Photo : copyrights Beit El Baraka.