Like any good marriage, Talal Alhanna and his wife Rasha each bring their different skill sets to the table.
And now the couple have combined to open up a new Langley City restaurant.
“My wife has a passion for cooking and I have a background in management,” Talal said.
“We thought if we could marry those together, we came up with the Hot and Toasty Cafe.”
The name of the crepe and panini shop was chosen by the couple’s 12-year-old son Rami, who has long enjoyed his mother’s homemade crepes.
The Syrian family came to Canada nine years ago and while they live in Surrey, they love the vibe and feel of their downtown Langley cafe which is located on Salt Lane.
Everything on the menu — which features breakfast crepes, savory crepes, sweet crepes, some vegetarian options, and a selection of paninis — is made in the cafe.
The couple’s restaurant experience consists of working for Tim Horton’s, with Talal as a baker and Rasha in customer service.
Talal also has a background in engineering, most recently working as a construction manager while his wife worked as a care aide.
His background allowed him to do the renovations on the cafe himself and he will eventually go back to that job once the cafe is up and running, leaving Rasha in charge of the day-to-day operations.
“You have to always come up with new ideas, ways to improve your business,” Rasha said about the challenges of running a restaurant.
The cafe also offers a daily brain-teasing puzzle, which if correctly solved, earns the customer a free medium coffee.
The cafe, located at 5497 Salt Lane, is open Tuesday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They also do delivery and the cafe is available for special occasions after 5 p.m.
Call 604-427-4687 for more.