"When Alshehab finally decided to open Alley Mezza in Portland, it was in response to what he saw as a diminishment of Arab food and culture. He wanted the cart to be entirely vegan and proudly Arab-owned, serving a more accurate representation of SWANA dishes. Five years in the making, the cart opened in the courtyard of cocktail bar Someday, off Division, on February 29, 2020, serving dishes like hummus, muhammara, tabbouleh, vegan labneh, and salad-e shirazi; in 2021, it became a Sunday brunch spot, highlighting popular SWANA breakfast foods, including Bahraini kebab (chickpea flour fritters) and Iranian kuku sabzi (herb omelets)." - Waz Wu