Shirley (Lulu) Azzghayer and Oussama Mannaa of SOMA

SOMA Lamb Tagine (photo credit Craig Hackey Photography)

Owned by wife/husband duo, Shirley (Lulu) Azzghayer and Oussama Mannaa—Mannaa was originally born and raised in Lebanon and Azzghayer spent her youth in Pacifica and San Francisco, until her family moved to East Jerusalem during the First Intifada. After returning to the US to further their higher education, the pair met, and later opened SOMA Eats. Inspired by his heritage and travels, Co-Owner Oussama Mannaa is the visionary behind theglobally influenced California cuisine concept at San Francisco’s all-day café, SOMA Eats.

“I noticed San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood was full of fast-casual restaurants and a couple fine-dining options, but there was nothing in the middle,” Mannaa explains. “My wife (Co-Owner Shirley Azzghayer) and I had dreamed of having an all-day café. SOMA Eats is our way of offering the classic international flavors we grew up with, from Lebanese and Palestinian cuisine, in a non-traditional and highlyapproachable way.”  Melding traditional flavors of the Middle East with recipes designed for speed, Mannaa created a destination for San Francisco’s urban dwellers who desire quality, convenient comfort food.

Shirley “Lulu” Azzghayer and Oussama Mannaa (photo credit SOMA EATS)

Born and raised in Lebanon, Mannaa graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science at theAmerican University of Beirut. In the early 2000s, he moved to San Francisco to earn his Master’sin database management at Golden Gate University. Though initially drawn to the Bay Area for a tech career, he happened to pick up a part-time job in a wine shop owned by Azzghayer’s father, a fortuitous move that inspired him to change vocations and introduced him to his future wife.

In 2006, Mannaa purchased a liquor store downtown and officially opened SOMA Wine & Spirits on Second Street near the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Years later, in 2013, he and Azzghayer identified a neighborhood need for an easy-going food and drink destination, a step above fast-casual, and opened SOMA Eats in response. The couple opened the second SOMA Eats location in October 2018.

Mannaa and Azzghayer currently live in Burlingame with their three daughters. While not at work, Mannaa loves exploring new restaurants with his family, playing basketball, and routing for his favorite team, the Golden State Warriors.

Azzghayer took charge of developing the aesthetic for SOMA Eats with her keen eye for design.  She created a warm, inviting setting that is optimized for quick, efficient breakfast and lunch service yet chic enough for casual happy hours and dinners to complement the cuisine.

“I grew up in a home where my mother cooked for us every day, and because of that, have astrong appreciation for food that’s been cooked with thought and care and leaves you feeling nourished. We want to deliver that same sensation to our diners, and its what SOMA Eats bringsto the neighborhood,” she says. The resulting space evokes feelings of a home-cooked meal enjoyed within the refined atmosphere of a wine bar.

Azzghayer spent her youth in Pacifica and San Francisco with her father who owned three bottle shops until her family moved to East Jerusalem during the First Intifada. The move occurred dueto Azzghayer’s parents desire to teach her and her siblings about their Palestinian heritage, and to expose them to life outside the U.S. This life-changing move opened her eyes to the suffering of her people and had a lasting impact instilling a desire to spread awareness of the Palestinian cause. Her next move was back to California where she studied international relations at the University of California, Davis, and it was during her sophomore year that she met her husband Oussama Mannaa.

Continuing her altruistic work, Azzghayer pursued a career in the nonprofit world with the ArabCultural and Community Center and the Global Fund for Women. She also received her master’sdegree in Public Administration from San Francisco State University in 2011 while working and caring for her one-year-old daughter.

Prior to the birth of their second child, Azzghayer and Mannaa opened their first bottle shop, SOMA Wine & Spirits in 2006. In 2013, their larger dream was realized with the opening of SOMA Eats, the first location of their fine-casual dining concept. They celebrated the openingof the concept’s second location in October 2018.

Shirley (Lulu) Azzghayer and Oussama Mannaa of SOMA


Cuisines

Authors