Tuesday, January 1, 2013

2013 and the Al-Masri Extensions

Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant is my little restaurant located in San Francisco at 4031 Balboa Street.  I opened on December 17, 1999; so, that makes it over 13 years of being in business -- despite all the pitfalls and questionable decisions I encountered along the way.  Wow, how times flies!  And, although I'm the sole surviving anchor to this beautiful little 49-seat exotic eatery, my fervor remains steadfast as ever, harboring a vision that encompasses more than just a dining establishment.

As part of that vision, under the umbrella of Al-Masri, I opened my dance school, the Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance in 2004.  Out of that have come the most dedicated of students and best of friends I could have ever imagined having.  A curriculum I formulated is broken down into four semesters with a goal of one year learning this dance.  A key discovery to the expression of this dance, I called it the Egyptian Dance Code® (EDC®) and registered it with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  It's an exciting discovery, as well as infectious to all of my students, as they go through the initial four semesters of learning this dance using the Sausan Method, and evolving into potentially striking performers.  Several of my graduates now dance as featured dancers at Al-Masri carrying on a tradition of authenticity both in dance and performance.  Seven-Day EDC® Intensive Seminars, Weekend EDC® Workshops, educational videos, and so much more have come out of this dance school.  And as a result, brought about from all my accomplished the graduates, the Sausan Ensemble Egyptian Dance Company was born.

Recently, in December of 2012, I launched a new little extension of Al-Masri and called Bitchin' Baklava.  Already seen by thousands of people on the Internet and ordered by a few dozen of them, Bitchin' Baklava is proving to be probably the next hotest offering to the public.  The fillings are endless.  Just yesterday I cooked up a filling I call Sweet Piggly Pecan; a concoction of ground pecans, rehydrated golden raisins, and crispy bacon.  Scrumptious!  There are others that salute Valentines Day, Hawaiian flavors, the peanut butter and jelly in all of us, and a filling with some spicy jalapeƱo added.  Yes, flavors are a-happening!

There is so much to live for the year 2013!  Cooking classes, Egyptian inspired operetta performances, more intensive Egyptian Dance Code® workshops, language classes, documentaries, and quite possibly the publication of my book, Celebrating on a Scarab. Just waiting to get my new computer.

It's been a long journey from 1999 to now, with one huge deviation back in 2005 to 2007 which pushed me off a cliff out of which I've been climbing since 2007.  But I'm looking at a clear horizon and a starlit night sky with clarity and conviction.  NOW is my time.

So, take time to stop in Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant, order some Bitchin' Baklava, watch my Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance graduates perform, and then, when it's published, go out and buy my Celebrating on a Scarab book.  Instructional dance videos on the Egyptian Dance Code® to come as well as a cook book or my restaurant's recipes.

Have a wonderful and prosperous New Year.
Hope to see you all soon at Al-Masri or under one of its extensions!
Comments always welcome!

1 comment:

Sausan of the Sausan Academy of Egyptian Dance said...

Bitchin' Baklava is soon to be in stores in packages! Already, you can get them at Andronico's on Irving Street in San Francisco and at Simple Pleasures Cafe on Balboa Street in San Francisco.