Baraka Osman recieves prestigious award from Restaurant Association by Larry McDonald
Thu, Mar 20, 2008  On Wednesday, March 10, 2008, Somalia refugee, Baraka Osman was awarded the "Back of the House-Employee of the Year" award by the Rochester Chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association.
In Somalia, Baraka, was a member of the Bantu Tribe. This tribe is heavily persecuted and the women are often raped, and Bantu members are at times made slaves by other tribes. Ozzie, as close friends affectionately call him, escaped his homeland leaving behind his mother and younger sister, and traveled to Kenya, by foot. For seven years, Ozzie lived in various refugee camps with the hopes of one day moving to America. It is required to be able to read and write English before being permitted to apply for entrance into the US. While learning to read and write, Ozzie earned money by repairing bikes and watches in Kenya. Once he completed the requirements, and had enough money to apply, Baraka and his wife, Halima was permitted by the INS to enter the America along with 12,000 other Somalia refugees that applied.
Once in the US, Ozzie was able to earn money by landscaping and dishwashing for various companies. Then in 2004, he applied for employment at Simply Crepes Café in Pittsford, NY, owned by Pierre and Karen Heroux. When he applied, Ozzie wanted to cook at the restaurant, as he was familiar with Crepes as a meal cooked in his homeland of Somalia. Because he was unable to read the order tickets, Mr. Osman was instead hired as a dishwasher. His determination to cook caused him to quickly learn to read the menus and order sheets and in no time he became a line cook. Four years later, Baraka became Lead Cook at Simply Crepes Café.
Each year restaurant owners that are member of the Rochester Chapter of the Restaurant Association are asked to submit an employee they believed to be qualified for the Back of the House -Employee of the Year award. Pierre Heroux said he chose to nominate Ozzie to represent Simply Crepes Cafe because of how impressed not only he, but also the entire staff is by Mr. Osman. "Ozzie is like a conductor when he's working," said Heroux. "He leads well and others want to follow his direction." When Simply Crepes Café opened a new location in Canandaigua, Ozzie was chosen to train several new employees. The café's General Manager, Melinda Nikolaou said, "It is an absolute pleasure to have Ozzie as part of the staff. He is not only a leader and trainer of 3 to 4 cooks at any given shift, but he is always willing to take on more responsibility than what is required of his position."
Not only is the husband and the father of a 5-year-old daughter and 22-month-old son a leader at work, he is also the treasurer of the Somalia Bantu Tribe Community Association in Rochester. This community is made up of 46 Somali families. Mr. Osman also coordinates rides for other Somali refugees that may be new to the US. Because refrigerators, ovens, and even money are not normal commodities in Somalia, most refugees do not know how to use appliances or budget money. Ozzie teaches the others how to cook and store food and he rations out their money and shows them how to save and spend wisely. All of these characteristics, combined with the ability to speak four languages, adapt to an environment completely different from what he's used to and his determination to survive and support his family is why Pierre and Karen Heroux describe Ozzie as, "A genuine man with an incredible vision." This is also why they chose to nominate him as Back of the House- Employee of the Year. It is also why out of the 3,000 employees qualified; Baraka Osman was the award's recipient.
Though he said he is very proud of his accomplishment, Baraka remained the humble selfless person his employers and co-workers know him to be. Instead of focusing on his own recognition, Osman asked that attention be turned to the refugees of Somalia in Rochester who receive no government aid. He asked that if any institution is able to help them economically, educationally, and/or socially, to contact him so that he can make this information available for the refugees to live a more comfortable life here in the US. Mr. Osman can and the Somalia Bantu Community Association can be reached at 585-719-6885 or baraka_osman@yahoo.com
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