SHOF
Syrian Cuisine
SHOF cater for parties and events offering delicious, home cooked Syrian food. We can cater for vegetarian, vegan and gluten free diets, we're based in Birmingham.
Some of our food
Our Story
Yousef set up SHOF in 2023, originally from Syria he had to leave his home in 2011 due to the war and fled to Jordan with his family. They were very lucky that their family was offered refugee resettlement in the UK to allow their youngest daughter Fatimah to receive essential medical treatment for a rare medical condition.
Yousef and his wife Nour now live in Birmingham with their three children- Shams, Omran & Fatimah. The name SHOF is an acronym of their initials.
I came to Birmingham with my family in 2017, speaking no English. Two years later, in October 2019, I set up my business called Grab 2 Eat in the Bullring Market. I bought a food truck and rented a space at the central market, where I sold falafel, shawarma and other Syrian fast food. Initially, it was very successful, opening 5 days a week, employing another Syrian friend and me, and we catered for events as well as the market stall. Then the pandemic started, and I had to close the business due to lockdown in March 2020. I reopened the business in April 2021 after the last lockdown ended but I could only open 3 days a week because there were fewer customers since the end of lockdown. I was struggling to make enough money to just pay the rent for my space at the market, so I had to give up the business and sell the truck.Yousef set up SHOF in 2023,
What people say about us
" We were looking for great homemade Syrian food and came across Yousef and his family business, who did an incredible job providing all the food for our Refugee Week event last Saturday.
The food was delicious and very fresh (the mint in the fatush salad was very refreshing and the heart-shaped falafel was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside), well packaged with recyclable materials and they delivered the food on time for a very small fee. The Bike Project will certainly order more food from SHOF and cannot recommend them highly enough for the impeccable customer service and incredible food."
Joana Inácio - The Bike Project
"Yousef has catered many events for Refugee Action -from small groups to large & the food is always fresh & tasty, no matter the size of the event. The prices are very competitive & portions are generous- guests often leave with food to take home & everyone always says how much they loved the food. Yousef is able to meet particular dietary requirements such as vegan or gluten free & always delivers the food on time. If you want delicious, home cooked Syrian food for your event or party, Yousef is your man!"
Julie Barton. Refugee Action
"I recently used the services of SHOF for a family event, the food was simply amazing! Every dish was bursting with flavour and reminded me of the delicious meals I've had during my travels in the Middle East. Yousef was also very accommodating to our dietary restrictions and provided us with several options that everyone could enjoy. "
Jacob - Birmingham
''Having catered backstage for our artists on multiple occasions, Yousef's dishes have been consistently delicious. He's provided varied, filling and delish spreads for our events, with one artist describing the meal as 'the best food he's ever had at a festival'.
Lisa Meyer - Supersonic Festivals
" Such amazing vibes! And the food Freshly made food and love the variety of flavours. We always order too much, but we never have any regrets. I’ve got the chicken shawarma and meze. They were easily the best Syrian cuisine we've had. There's actually a lot of options, it must be so nice! Try it! You'll love it!
Everything we ordered was first class and presented beautifully. "
Lina - A C H
