For this Everett baker, Turkey-Syria quake strikes a personal chord

Local relief efforts continue to help Turkish victims after one of the deadliest earthquakes in that country’s history. But for one Everett baker, the tragic event struck a personal chord.

Alida’s is a Kurdish American bakery specializing in Middle Eastern breads. But for the past two weeks it’s been selling manakish, similar to pizza that’s usually eaten for breakfast. Proceeds will go toward earthquake victims. Customer Linda Forst came to try some and stock up on flatbreads.

“I want to help in any way I can," she said.

When news of the earthquake first broke, owner Nechirvan Zebari couldn’t shake off the images of people stuck in the rubble. He understands loss. He came to the U.S. in 1997 as a refugee.

He initially thought of flying to Turkey to provide aid, using his training as a nurse—until his wife made him think twice.

“She’s like, this is a bad idea,” recalled Zebari. “Let’s sit down and figure out what we can do from here.”

In the end, they decided to rally the community and collectively send help instead. That’s what gave them the idea to sell manakish.

Zebari and his staff are from North Iraq, not too far from the Turkish and Syrian border. While they still have family near the area, no one has been directly affected by the earthquake. Even so, the tragic event is personal.

The bakery kitchen was not equipped for making manakish. There were some messed-up orders initially, but now they have a system in place.

Zebari said everyone has been working hard and putting in the hours, but it feels good knowing their efforts will be worth it. The earthquake, he adds, made him reflect on his own journey, and appreciate that even small efforts can lead to something tremendous.

“Coming as a refugee took a lot of work by other people," Zebari said. "We never saw that. We never realized until later on.”