Greensboro, Alabama’s "Little Egyptian Comfort Kitchen"
Cottage Hummus with paprika chickpeas and charred lemon.
Name the kinds of food destinations expected in rural Alabama and the survey probably doesn’t say “Egyptian cafe.” But for those familiar with the Black Belt—a state-wide sash of fertile soil and bucolic towns—Abadir’s existence in tiny Greensboro (population 2,147) isn’t as surprising as it might be.
“There’s this magic to the area that lures people in, especially creatives,” says Abadir’s owner, Sarah Cole. She calls her business “Alabama’s little Egyptian comfort kitchen.”
Born and raised in nearby Demopolis, Cole started Abadir’s as a pop-up bakery in 2020. Her concept—Egyptian treats made with seasonal, Southern ingredients—developed during distance from her family. While living away from home in Pittsburgh, Cole started remixing her mother Margaret’s recipes, dishes Margaret had recreated in her new home after she and her family fled religious persecution in 1980s Egypt and emigrated to Alabama. “I had this sudden fear if I didn't connect to that culture, and I were to lose my mom, do I also lose my heritage?” Cole says.
When she would describe what she was cooking to Margaret, like stuffed collards instead of grape leaves, Cole discovered her instincts drew on a deeper source. “My mom would say ‘Oh yeah, Teta used to do that,’” she says, referring to her grandmother.
When Cole returned to Alabama, she decided she would also return the name Abadir, which her mother had given up to assimilate. After Abadir’s appeared in The Tuscaloosa News, Cole quickly and regularly sold out.
Locals looked forward to sunshiney slices of turmeric-coconut cake called sfouf; rose petal-confettied blueberry tarts; and ma’amoul: date-filled, orange blossom-perfumed cookies. With that spoonful of sugar (or rather, molasses), fans started picking up her savory options, like za’atar-seasoned bread or sourdough pita pockets filled with fava bean salad and garlic-tahini sauce. Those favorites—plus herby labneh salads, soups and more—fill the newest iteration of Abadir’s, a slate-colored cottage just off the main drag, where both Cole and other entrepreneurs can feed their community, which has grown more diverse than the place Margaret first encountered decades ago. Over the ensuing years, a new cadre of artists, musicians, architects, educators and retirees have invested in the area.
“My mom is so proud of her heritage now,” says Cole. Margaret even worked at the cafe’s soft opening this past July. “Abadir’s has been a beautiful experience for me. But the most wonderful thing is how I have truly developed a strong relationship with this region.”
Editor's note: Unfortunately, not long after we went to press with this story, Abadir's announced closure for an indefinite break. Hope to see them back in action soon.
