About Us

Previously Falafel Baraka, we are now Hakoora Foods.

Hakoora is an ancient Arabic name for a small plot of land next to a family home. Harking back to simpler times, this land is lovingly tended by the whole family, honoured for the nourishing food it provides. That food is often shared with family and neighbours, and blended together to create simple, tasty dishes.

The hakoora is also a gathering place. The shade of the olive trees and grape vines is a place of laughter, joy and celebration, always centred around a table full of the food the hakoora provides.

Community is at the heart of what we do. From local producers, to our clientele, we work hard to craft food that will allow the bounty of our planet to shine through. Here on the Sunshine Coast, we are blessed with rich soils and abundant sunshine that grows stunning fresh produce. We work closely with local farmers and producers to craft these into our products, so you too can enjoy the nourishment of these Middle Eastern plant-based meals.

Our Family Story

Growing up in Jerusalem, my Yama was always roasting spices, fresh from the market.  Cumin, coriander, paprika, black pepper; Yama dry-pan roasted them one at a time, their individual aromas filling our home, feeding my senses, making my mouth water. These roasted spices were set aside in preparation for her traditional falafel mixture. Chickpeas were soaked overnight, onion and parsley were carefully washed and added into the blender. Her final addition was a touch of celery before the roasted spices were mixed in.

This falafel mixture was set aside for hours and hours in the fridge, for the flavours to blend together to create falafel perfection; traditional falafel, cooked with love, a Middle Eastern sensory adventure/experience.  Baba would then take this to the streets, cooking up hot, fragrant falafels from his cart in our home town. People would come from all over just to taste them, saying they could feel the love my parents poured into every bite.

Moving to Australia in 2005, I loved the country and culture yet so missed Yama’s homemade falafel.  I started making my own, following Yama’s traditional method, inviting friends around to share my own Middle Eastern memories.  They loved it. The taste, the texture, the unique flavours popping from the spices being individually roasted and carefully blended with the soaked chickpeas. No tins, no dehydrated herbs or vegetables, no spices from a glass jar.

My friends kept suggesting that I share my falafel with the world and spread the flavours, the experience and the aromas of the Middle East. When we moved to the Sunshine Coast from Sydney in 2016, my Australian wife and I agreed that the time was right to start my own venture, or, rather, a Middle Eastern cooking adventure.

And so Hakoora Foods was born, and we’ve been serving our fresh food to the Sunshine Coast for over a decade now. From our food stall at Yandina Markets and festivals like Woodford, to our new cafe on Stevens St in Yandina, we hope to you’ll enjoy the delicious Middle Eastern flavours we offer.

From father...

...to son

From our kitchen to your family table, we hope you too can taste the love we pour into the Middle Eastern food we create.