From the heart of Sharjah, and in a shop whose walls store many memories, ice cream is not only made from milk and orchid, but from a living memory and hands that passed down the secret of the recipe from generation to generation. Ghafoor’s story with ice cream is not just a story of a profession, but rather the biography of a family that carried the flavor of this heritage from Acre in Palestine to Lebanon, then to Sharjah in 1983, and among the pictures of the ancestors hanging on the walls of the shop, which evoke the traditional methods of making ice cream, and the modern machines that It facilitated the work, the secret of the recipe remains preserved, and its essence is honesty in performing the work, passion for the profession, and the love given to every flavor offered to customers; According to Nabil Hassan Ghafour, who runs “Zahrat Al-Shamal”.
Nabil Ghafour told “Emirates Today” about the beginning of his father’s establishment of the store in 1983, and the family legacy in the ice cream industry: “The family’s story began with this profession with (my grandfather Abdo) in Acre in 1919. The family’s origins are from Palestine, but in 1948 the family moved to Lebanon and opened its project in the north, while my father and uncle moved to the Emirates in 1983,” explaining that after his father’s death in In 1994, he assumed his duties in the shop, and thus the family inherited the profession over three generations, as he worked with his cousins, but they expanded their projects and his cousin also opened his own shop in Sharjah.
Take responsibility
Nabil’s father died when he was 14 years old, which forced him to take responsibility for the project at a young age. He learned the basics of ice cream making from his father and the family, and was able over the years to maintain the project, pointing out that the ice cream making profession has witnessed many transformations over the years, especially since in the past it relied on manual methods, and its molds required a lot of physical effort.
He pointed out that in the past they used to make only Arabic cream ice cream, but with time they introduced new flavors of fruit, and were not satisfied with cream. Nabil saw that the secret of the continuity of the project from the days of his grandfather until today is preserving the secret of the craft or recipe, pointing out that orchid is an essential ingredient in the manufacture of Arabic ice cream, while relying on natural fruits, and that he follows the seasons of the fruit in preparing the flavors.
The world of the ice cream industry has witnessed many transformations, and even people’s tastes have changed, according to Nabil Ghafoor, who stated that cream and chocolate were the dominant and sought-after flavors in the market, but after the year 2000, the market witnessed a change in tastes, and customers became more demanding of various flavors, especially fruit, pistachio, and others.
Fixed place
“Zahrat Al Shamal” has not changed its location in Sharjah. Since it was founded, it has maintained its location with the addition of some modern and simple modifications and changes. The walls of the store carry many family memories and heritage, through old photos of the family that document several stages of the family project, the movement of its members between Acre, Lebanon, and Sharjah, and the inheritance of the profession starting from the grandfather all the way to the second and third generations.
Nabil stated that the oldest photo that adorns the “Wall of Memories” is from Acre, and there is a group of snapshots from Lebanon, while the last stage is in the Emirates, considering that the most prominent thing that was drilled into him about this profession is patience, as making ice cream requires a lot of it in preparation, and when dealing with fruit flavors there is not much difference in preparing ice cream or the basic ingredients, as it does not contain milk, but with regard to cream it requires different ingredients, including mastic and rose water, while some flavors require orange blossom water, With each flavor, there are challenges and quantities that vary.
To this day, Nabil supervises preparing the recipes himself, despite the presence of machines that facilitate the work and save a lot of time. However, he still stands by the shop team daily, believing that the recipe always has its secret, in addition to the “breath” in preparation. He stressed that the basic components through which any project maintains its continuity are honesty in the work, in addition to the passion that makes a person give from his heart, expressing his hope that his children will continue after the project that he inherited from his father.
Despite the intense competition, and the presence of many Western stores offering different flavors in this industry, Nabil Ghafoor believes that it does not threaten Arabic ice cream, because what distinguishes the latter, including recipes that rely on fruit, is its reliance on the orchid component primarily, and the absence of this component turns it into ice cream and not Arabic ice cream.
Social media platforms
Nabil Ghafour confirmed that there are many customers who have accompanied “Zahrat Al-Shamal” since childhood, and keep pace with developments in various fields. Today, they are turning to marketing ice cream through social media platforms, which allow others to get to know the store. He expressed his happiness at the presence of generations who have accompanied them since its founding. Those who used to bring children as children to buy are now bringing their children for ice cream, and this is confirmation that the project was established correctly.
Nabil Ghafoor:
. Honesty is the basis for any project to maintain its continuity, in addition to passion.
. The most prominent thing that the profession has instilled in me is patience, as it requires a lot of it in preparation.
. 1919 The family’s story began with the profession of making ice cream in Palestine.
