Nicholas Restaurant

MEET OUR FAMILY

		Nicholas Restaurant was established in June of 1986, by Nicholas and Linda Dibe, Hilda's mother and father. Due to the tragic war in Beirut Lebanon, Nicholas took a leave of absence from his 35 years of work as a public relations officer for Air France Airlines, and the family took refuge in the US in July of 1982.

Hilda with her mother and father



The family in front of their home in Lebanon

Coming from the old country, neither had the language or experience to achieve financial survival.
Linda was forced to take a full time job doing carpet alteration to put food on the table.
In order to build more income for the family, Nicholas returned to the tragedies from which he once escaped for 2 more years.



	Nicholas having lunch at the Beirut Airport, 1962

These 2 years proved difficult, and the family felt the need to search for a solid income and a stable family living situation.
After 37 years of dedicated service to Air France Airlines, Nicholas decided to take his retirement and use his pension to invest in the authenticity in what you see today as Nicholas Restaurant.



Air France company Christmas party, 1979

To bring out the traditional taste of Lebanese cooking, the black oven that is still used today to do most of the baking and bread making was bought and exported thousands of miles by sea along with various restaurant equipment.
The expenditures on the equipment were great, but in turn were imperative for authentic Lebanese cooking.



Hoda, Nicholas and Hilda at their first US home

Being amateur to the restaurant business and the full pension tied in to the future success of the restaurant, their only drive was the compliments they had received about their cooking from numerous acquaintances.
Since hired help was a luxury, Linda quit her job to join Nicholas in an undefined journey when opening day came.



	Hilda 5 years old, with her grandfather

What first began as a "mom and pop store" selling pizzas and calzones to survive, was once a run down tavern that laid vacant for many years.
When word got out this restaurant existed, Lebanese cuisine was introduced to our already loyal customers, who brought word of mouth advertising to the slow but steady success of Nicholas Restaurant.



Linda and friends celebrate the restaurant's 3 year anniversary

Now 13 years later, through your support and loyalty, you the customer has made us what we are today.
We would like to extend a debt of gratitude to the reviews we received in publications such as the Oregnonian, Willamette Week, The South East Examiner, Koin 6 News, and the Internet.



Nicholas with his grandchildren

Now as a self proclaimed semi-retired couple, Nicholas still insists on coming in every morning, buying supplies, roasting eggplant for the Baba, and baking some of the bread.
And Linda still comes in several times a week and puts her heart into making the humus, taboulli, and the baklava.

		Now Hilda is doing her part to follow her parents legacy. To her, and to the many others that Nicholas and Linda touched, this legacy embodies the idea that work is not a curse or a misfortune of labor, as people think, but rather it is love made visible, if it comes from the heart.

The grandchildren



Linda & Nicholas, 1968		Hilda & Ziad, 2000