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My name is Somayeh. I’m the mother of 3 amazing kids, aged 14, 13 and 4 years old. I am a refugee from Afghanistan. In Afghanistan I was a teacher and an instructor of women in vocational training.
In August 2021, when the Taliban took control of our country, my family and I were forced to leave everything behind — our home, our friends, and the only life we knew. We found safety in Lyon, France, where we lived for almost four years.
During that time of learning to survive in a new country I supported my family through my passion — baking and pastry making. I started catering small events, and baking cakes and sweets that reminded people of home. So, little by little, my dream began to grow and I got experience with French pastry making (including pasties), as well as Italian foods. In November 2024, my family and I were blessed to get permanent refugee status in the U.S. So, we moved to the United States, where we’ve started rebuilding our lives.
Although the situation for refugees became quite hard, I was able to work part-time in a bakery in Jenkintown, PA. During this time I was studying hard to get my driver’s license. After 3 failed tries, in October 2025, I got my driver’s license, because I never gave up. In that same spirit, of never giving up, I have now proudly finished my business plan and registered my own LLC pastry and bakery business from home in Meadowbrook, PA. I have named it SRNAH, which is an acronym of all my family member’s first names. My dream with this business plan is to open my own pastry shop — a warm place filled with love, creativity, and the flavors of my Afghan heritage, mixed with French and American styles. I want to create a better life for my children and provide opportunities for other women and refugees who are starting over, just like I did. My husband and I finished an entrepreneurship course by Welcoming Center Organization. Together with my husband, I have finished my business plan and got my LLC, but I still need equipment, a fridge, and a used car. Every contribution will help me buy those things as well as ingredients, and the tools I need to grow this small business into something beautiful and lasting. Thank you for believing in me, for supporting my dream, and for helping my family build a new future filled with hope and sweetness. With gratitude, Somayeh Founder of SRNAH family kitchen.
https://www.chestnuthilllocal.com/stories/familys-escape-from-taliban-ends-in-nw-philadelphia,35310?
