Mariam's Cafe Of Farmingdale Offers Halal Fusion, Special Needs Brunch

FARMINGDALE, NY — Mariam's Cafe of Farmingdale opened a couple of years ago, serving halal fusion in a variety of cuisines: Moroccan, Middle Eastern, Italian, Spanish and American.

While owners Sameh and Mariam Ahmed could have stopped at offering hard-to-find cuisines from their 1005 Fulton Street digs, their 8-year-old son, who is on the autism spectrum, inspired them to create a non-profit.

Mariam was born in Brooklyn and moved to Lindenhurst when she was 3 years old. Sameh, born in Alexandria, Egypt, moved to New York when he was 19. Mariam is now 42, while Sameh is 44.

Mariam's Cafe was born out of the couple's passion for the culinary arts and showing people that halal is more complex than people think.

"We love food," Sameh told Patch. "We love eating different kinds of food. So we cook it. We have this passion and love for food, parties and showing it to the people. You can eat more than just chicken over rice for halal food. You can eat actual Italian food in halal. All you need to do is get halal meat."

What makes meat halal is how the animal is slaughtered: A certain killing cut must be made that follows Islamic culture.

"The perception about halal food, what you see in the city — chicken over rice, and gyros — we tried to change that," Sameh said.

Mariam is Moroccan-Italian, while Sameh is Egyptian. The two wanted to share the halal foods of their cultures and beyond when they took over a deli in 2018.

Mariam's Cafe, decorated Moroccan-style, serves omelettes, egg and meat sandwiches, chicken, beef, lamb, platters, burgers, cheesesteaks, gyros, paninis, and more. The cafe also has a catering menu.

The cafe has alternatives to pork, a food forbidden to Muslims, including turkey ham, beef bacon, and turkey bacon. Italian and American halal heros are also made by the cafe, as Sameh recalled going to Super Bowl parties and not being able to eat any of the heros being offered.

"I ended up with chips and soda," he said.

Mariam's Cafe Blue Brunch in February announced it was approved as a non-profit. The Ahmeds' son is on the autism spectrum, attends special education classes, and is non-verbal, Sameh said. The family's own challenges inspired them to create Blue Brunch, where events centered around meals and fun are organized for families with special needs children.

"One of the hardest things for a parent of a special needs child is going to a restaurant," Sameh said. "Because those kids are special, and they need special treatment. Most of the time, you end up not going anywhere, because even the kids are not comfortable. My son, he is not himself. He can’t do whatever he wants, and that’s not what you want to do for a special needs kid."

The cafe's Blue Brunch events allow parents of special needs children to meet one another and learn. The first Blue Brunch was held in March 2022 and was attended by 15 families, Sameh said. A larger party was organized at the Knights of Columbus venue behind the cafe, where 100 people attended, including families who don't have special needs children who wanted to go and support.

As Mariam's Cafe Blue Brunch is a non-profit separate from the cafe itself, the Ahmeds rely on donations to organize brunches.

A GoFundMe was made for Mariam's Cafe Blue Brunch so future events can be organized.

The Ahmeds hope to organize more brunches now that they have an official non-profit. The inaugural event was completely sponsored by them. The second one, however, required other restaurants donating some food.

"When we were sitting with the parents, they’d say, ‘My son needs this, so what can I do?’ We tried to get answers for the parents, and for myself as well," Sameh said. "I learned a lot from a lot of parents, and some have more knowledge than I do, I learned from them a lot. And in the same time, other parents don’t know how to help their kids. So I told them what I know. That’s why we want to organize more sittings."

The Ahmeds are hoping to organize their next Blue Brunch by May. The warmer weather would allow for activities for kids, like bouncy houses and a tent.

While the Ahmeds are hoping to plan their next event soon, they continue to serve their take on halal fusion to others. The most rewarding part of owning the cafe, Sameh said, is the love from customers.

"I’m serious about it," he said. "The love we’ve been having. The people loving our food. Our idea about the food, the fusion and ethnicity of the food. Moreover now, people reach out to us about helping Blue Brunch. Because of that, at the cafe, it’s only me and my wife working, so it’s a lot of pressure and a lot of work here. Doing the Blue Brunch as well, too, is more work."

The couple is trying to form a board for Mariam's Cafe Blue Brunch so others can help with the responsibilities of organizing events.

"Last time, we were responsible for everything: the place, the food, collecting the donations, spending it wisely within the budget to get everything I would want for my son and the other kids to enjoy."

Mariam's Cafe is open Wednesday through Sunday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.