KIN - CONNECT
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer >
      • LaMP
      • Embrace Initiative
      • Adult English Programs
      • 2nd Home
      • Occasional Opportunities
      • Translate/Interpret
    • Training >
      • Adult English Teacher Certification
      • ELL Teacher Continuing Education
      • Cross-Cultural Seminar
      • Knoxville International Experience
      • Culture Orientation
    • Growth Resources
    • Events & Festivals
    • Other Language Classes
    • Finances & Donations
  • The Network
    • Partner Portal
    • Volunteer Portal
  • Resources for Local Internationals
    • Adult English Classes
    • Immigration & Naturalization
    • International businesses >
      • Restaurants
      • Food Trucks
    • Multilingual Churches >
      • Arabic
      • Burmese
      • Chinese
      • English
      • Kirundi
      • Korean
      • Romanian
      • Russian
      • Spanish
      • Swahili
    • Employment Assistance
    • Healthcare Resources
    • Driving Resources
    • Home Ownership & Money Management
  • Impact Stories
  • DONATE

Local Restaurants Owned by Internationals

Sami's Café

2/3/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Bassam Natour, Owner of Sami's Café, named for his father
Born in the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah in 1966, Bassam “Sam” Natour and his family left the area soon after he was born. Following the Six-Day War in 1967, Sam’s dad took the family to the United States where his dad and two uncles bought a house in Fairfax, Virginia. They lived there until 1973, when they moved to Knoxville.
A friend of Bassam’s dad who lived in Knoxville told them they should come to Knoxville for business opportunities, so after scouting the area, they bought a business: the Copper Kettle restaurant on Western Avenue.

Sam opened his own restaurant in 1993 in downtown Knoxville. But when he suffered a heart attack, his doctor advised him to take some time off to rest and recover. He sold his business and took 14 months off from work. Regaining strength, he then went to work helping at his brother’s business, Pete’s Restaurant, on Union Avenue.

Then one day, Sam’s current landlord reached out to him, knowing his background, and told him about an available restaurant location. Sam was unsure whether he wanted to get back into the restaurant business, but he had missed his customers from the downtown restaurant. So he decided to give it one more try. His home cooking quickly drew a crowd!

Named after Bassam’s father,  Sam says his family played a big role in helping get his business started. And as far as specialty entrees go, Sam says everything is his best seller - and that’s why he keeps it on the menu!

 
Sami’s Cafe is located in Franklin Square at 9700 Kingston Pike, was an immediate success. The restaurant is open Monday - Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; (865) 531-7900.
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    restaurant list (coming soon)

    Ethnic Restaurants

    Read about a featured local restaurant or search our (often updated) list by clicking above.

    Archives

    February 2022

    Categories

    All
    Breakfast
    Bubble Tea
    Cedar Bluff
    Comfort Food
    Downtown Knoxville
    Hardin Valley
    Laotian
    Mediterranean
    Palestinian
    Syrian
    Vietnamese
    West Hills
    West Knoxville

    RSS Feed

About

Why KIN?
​
Our Team
​KIN's History
Statement of Faith
Numbers & Need
KIN in the News

Contact KIN

865.235.1476​
admin@kin-connect.org

Mailing
PO Box 31052
Knoxville, TN 37930
​
Office
6300 Deane Hill Drive
Knoxville, TN 37919
Picture
Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer >
      • LaMP
      • Embrace Initiative
      • Adult English Programs
      • 2nd Home
      • Occasional Opportunities
      • Translate/Interpret
    • Training >
      • Adult English Teacher Certification
      • ELL Teacher Continuing Education
      • Cross-Cultural Seminar
      • Knoxville International Experience
      • Culture Orientation
    • Growth Resources
    • Events & Festivals
    • Other Language Classes
    • Finances & Donations
  • The Network
    • Partner Portal
    • Volunteer Portal
  • Resources for Local Internationals
    • Adult English Classes
    • Immigration & Naturalization
    • International businesses >
      • Restaurants
      • Food Trucks
    • Multilingual Churches >
      • Arabic
      • Burmese
      • Chinese
      • English
      • Kirundi
      • Korean
      • Romanian
      • Russian
      • Spanish
      • Swahili
    • Employment Assistance
    • Healthcare Resources
    • Driving Resources
    • Home Ownership & Money Management
  • Impact Stories
  • DONATE