At the Middlesex-London Food Policy Council, we believe food is more than nourishment. It is culture, memory, resilience, and connection.
ArJay, owner of La Burreria London at Covent Garden Market, embodies all of those things. As a Palestinian-Canadian entrepreneur, mother, and community member, her journey reflects perseverance, passion, and the power of building something meaningful through food.
We are honoured to share her story in her own words.
The Heart Behind La Burreria
By ArJay
My name is ArJay, and I’m the proud owner of La Burreria London at Covent Garden Market.
But this is more than a business. It is my story — built through sacrifice, shaped by challenge, and carried by love.
I came to Canada 23 years ago as a permanent resident. One of my first stops was Covent Garden Market. I still remember it clearly — the energy, the people, the smell of fresh food in the air. It felt alive. Even then, when I had very little, I quietly told myself:
“One day, I want a place here.”
Years later, that dream became real.
But the road was never easy.
As a Palestinian-Canadian woman who wears the hijab, I entered spaces where people had already decided who I was before they ever tasted my food. There were moments of doubt, moments where I felt pressure to shrink, and times I questioned whether I truly belonged.
But I refused to disappear.
My father was one of my greatest foundations in this journey. He gave me strength in a way that still carries me today. He once told me:
“If they want you to stop, it means you’re doing something real.”
Those words stayed with me in every hard moment — every setback, every doubt, every day I had to push forward anyway.
My mother was the heart of our home and our kitchen. She carried the recipes, the tradition, and the love that shaped my earliest understanding of food. I grew up watching her create something meaningful out of nothing, not realizing that she was planting the foundation of everything I would become. Her strength, patience, and grace live in every dish I serve today.
To my daughter JJ — thank you for reminding me to dream without limits. Your creativity, confidence, and light push me to keep building something worthy of your future.
To my son Ez — thank you for bringing joy, laughter, and energy into even the most exhausting days. You remind me that happiness is also part of success.
And to my husband Mo — my backbone, my anchor, my calm in every storm.
There are people who support you… and then there are people who hold you up when you can’t hold yourself up anymore. That is Mo.
He has stood beside me through every high and every breakdown, every risk and every restart. He carried the weight when it got heavy, believed in me when things looked impossible, and protected the vision when doubt tried to creep in. This journey would not exist without his strength behind it. La Burreria is built on food, but it is sustained by his support.
Then, over time, something beautiful happened.
The same Market that once felt intimidating became a place of belonging. Customers became family. Vendors became friends. Strangers became support systems.
La Burreria became more than a restaurant — it became home.
I want to sincerely thank the entire Covent Garden Market community for believing in me and for supporting this journey. From office staff to maintenance, security, and every vendor working long hours side by side — thank you for building a space filled with resilience and heart.
To Amy and the leadership team, thank you for creating opportunities for small businesses like mine to grow, evolve, and be seen.
And to those who stood by me in quiet but meaningful ways — Barb from Better Blend and C’est Cheese, Rafet from The Market Cafe, and Raul, who supported me like a true big brother — thank you.
Your encouragement, your check-ins, and your belief in me during difficult moments meant more than words can carry. Sometimes support isn’t loud. Sometimes it’s simply someone reminding you to keep going. I will never forget that.
At the center of everything is my family.
Receiving the Food System Champion 2025 recognition is not just a title. It is a reflection of everything it took to get here.
Perseverance.
Sacrifice.
Faith.
Endurance.
Food, to me, has never been just food.
It is memory.
It is identity.
It is survival.
It is love, passed from one hand to another.
Every dish we serve carries our story, our culture, and our heart.
And through every challenge, one truth remains:
We are still here.
Still standing.
Still creating.
Still serving with pride.
Thank you to everyone who believed in La Burreria and shared this journey with us.
With love and gratitude,
ArJay
La Burreria London ❤️
