Basel Yazbek

After escaping the bad situation in Syria, in order to better the future of his family, Basel spent three years in Lebanon completing the interview process to relocate. After one year of interviews with the UNHCR, followed by a year of interviews at the Canadian Embassy, Basel was sent to London.
He was notified one year prior to departure that he would be relocated to Canada and on arriving at the Montreal Airport he found out that he would be going to London. Basel’s sister and her children are still in Syria along with his mother.
“I was sponsored by a church who helped me with everything. Now, for me they are like family.” Basel is very thankful for the way they have taken care of him and helped him during the transition to London; they picked him up from the airport, rented an apartment, and overall made everything easier.
With his passion for food, Basel now works at a food store, as well as catering for small events on the side. The church started selling his food and he made $1,500 in a day, and his business only grew from there. The church offered Basel use of their kitchen for his business. He used to cook on ships and in restaurants back in Syria, and overall he enjoys cooking Middle Eastern food and desserts.
To Basel, being Canadian means a lot. Mostly, being supportive to the community is what defines Basel as a proud Canadian. His message to newcomers to London: “It’s nice, safe, and everything is good here… I like London a lot. It’s a good city. It’s quiet, a lot of greenery, friendly people… It will be different for the first months but when they get used to it, I’m sure they will be very happy here.”

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