Rom Hamdard served as an interpreter to the Marines in Afghanistan for over ten years. He worked closely with Clinton, TN native and United States Marine Corp Infantryman, Travis Ervin while there. Ervin wrote in a moving blog post in Sept of 2021,
“This Interpreter is a man of honor and respect. He is a gentleman with a thirst for knowledge of the American way. He is our ONLY interpreter who we know is still alive. After several years of fighting alongside U.S. troops and patiently waiting for a Special Immigrant Visa from the United States government, he had no choice but to leave his family in Kabul, Afghanistan, in an attempt to gain citizenship in Turkey. This was a frantic effort to find a better life for his family.”
Rom was in Istanbul, Turkey, in August of 2021 when the U.S. began its evacuation of Kabul, Afghanistan. Rom’s wife and three children were in the middle of the chaos. Ervin, who was back in the States, leveraged his resources and connections to help them get out of the country, but Rom remained in Turkey until December 2022, when he finally had his Visa approved. Rom’s family stayed with Ervin in Clinton until Rom arrived, and they were able to get on their feet.
Rom made connections in Knoxville, eventually leading him to Yassin Terou (of Yassin’s Falafel House fame and the Nicest Place in America!) and Syrian refugee. He worked at Yassin’s restaurant and became a manager. Rom told Yassin of a dream to start his own restaurant and serve Afghani food. Yassin connected Rom with his nonprofit program Seeds and Bridges to make that dream happen. Rom told me he followed all of the steps Yassin gave him to begin his new venture, and today, that is Rom’s House serving authentic Afghani food inside Marble City Market.
They celebrated their grand opening on Feb 4. “I want to show the U.S. how to heal through food and show love through food.” Rom learned to cook from his mother and his wife, Rana, who he calls the “perfect chef.” Rana works alongside Rom in the restaurant, serving dishes of rice, beef, chicken and veggies using Mediterranean spices. I stopped by and got the Rom’s Bowl dish with beef and chicken. It was flavorful and served in a bowl topped with bread baked right before serving and topped with sesame seeds. It is beautifully prepared, and you feel the love as Rom hands you the dish. It also comes with a side salad with spices and oil house dressing. The menu is small right now, but this allows them to focus on perfection and getting each order out promptly.
Rom’s House hasn’t been the only new food stall in Marble City Market since we last wrote about them. You will find a complete list of places HERE. I was there on a Friday afternoon around 2 pm, and there were quite a few people enjoying a late lunch. It was encouraging to see the food hall busy and people supporting all of these small business owners. There is new furniture and a full schedule of events happening.
Have you been to Rom’s House yet? What about the other new places? What’s your favorite?