Sami's Café

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.