Owners of Lebanese food firm thank Cork public for their support

The owners of a Cork-based food company that specialises in producing genuine Lebanese cuisine have thanked people for the messages of support received in relation to the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Rabih Farah, who is originally from Beirut and his Cork-born wife Pamela, founded Bia Beirut in 2024 with the aim of bringing authentic Lebanese flavours to Cork.

Rabih said that as the war in his home country rages on, he is devoting all his focus and energy to his passion for food.

“I usually don’t talk about wars and impact of wars because we’re very resilient in Lebanon.

“We just live day-by-day. We don’t think of the war because it’s becoming like normal in Lebanon, which is horrible to say,” he said.

“Luckily, at the moment in terms of supplies, I’m still able to get the authentic Lebanese food that I need to provide or to produce. So all that has been going well in terms of us having enough produce.”

Pamela said she is grateful to the people of Cork for their support in relation to the ongoing situation in Lebanon.

She said a lot of people, many of whom have never met Rabih before, will ask him about the situation in his homeland.

“It could be at a market. It could be when we are doing a tasting in SuperValu. I’ll explain to them the connection between the Irish and the Lebanese.

“They will ask questions like, how’s your mother-in-law? How’s your father-in-law? Or how’s your family there?

“Or, we have soldiers who’ve served with UNIFIL and have been to Lebanon, who tell you what a beautiful country it is,” said Pamela.

“We get also messages on social media saying we’re all thinking about you, and hope your family is okay.

“It’s so beautiful for something that’s so terrible, that it really brings out the niceness and humanity. It really means a huge amount and we pass on all those best wishes. It’s very much appreciated.”

Starting from their home kitchen and local markets, Bia Beirut craft small batch, handmade dips and breads using fresh Irish produce and traditional Lebanese ingredients.

Pamela discusses how Bia Beirut aims to showcase the positive contribution food can bring to society.

“Our food journey began in our kitchen in Cork. We created Bia Beirut to share our love of Lebanese food and bring the vibrant flavours of Beirut to Irish tables.

“We started making traditional Lebanese dips, spreads, snaps and breads from our home kitchen, selling locally and in the farmers’ markets in Cork. “

Bia Beirut is in selected SuperValu stores across Ireland and at the markets in Mahon Point on Thursdays and Douglas Village Shopping Centre on Saturdays.