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For restaurateur and Open Sesame owner Ali Kobeissi, a certain hallmark is making him “feel quite old.” But ultimately, that very hallmark is a celebration: his Lebanese staple in Belmont Shore is about to surpass a quarter of a century of serving the community. It has also allowed the man to reflect on the beautiful life he has been able to build for himself through Lebanese cuisine—and how the need to slow life down is a part of what makes Open Sesame a success.

When Ali was 15, he was put to work, like many youth in Beirut. For him, he landed in a place that would become a definitive part of his future professional endeavors: Abido Spices. The spice factory, still in operation to this day, taught Ali two very important things. For one, just how much his mother’s cooking affected and uplifted him. And secondly, just how much Lebanon created in terms of culinary contributions.

Lines of cardamom and coriander. Sumac and spice blends for everything from tawook to shawarma to soujouk. He was surrounded by the very things his mother, his aunts, his grandmothers used to “keep the men at home as much as possible.

“In Lebanese culture, much of our life revolves around food,” Ali said. “As soon as my mom was finished with breakfast—you know, maybe a bowl of foul with pita—she immediately starts on lunch. Then come two o’clock, we eat and we discuss dinner… Food is at the center of it all. And with Open Sesame, it really is the women in my life that made it. These are recipes from them, handed down years across years.”

After all, Open Sesame is Ali’s secret recipe card from Lebanon to Long Beach. With eyes wide for a new journey in his life, he is ready to let his son and daughter take the reins on the restaurant’s two locations. All the while, he gets to enjoy the sweet slow life while the rest of us continue to revel in his hummus and tawook.

Written and photos by Brian Addison. 

For the full feature on Open Sesame, click here.