It began as a search for healthy vegan options for restaurateur Ernesto Gomez’s then-girlfriend and ended up as a successful chain of Lebanese restaurants called Nuba. Surprising, given Ernesto never intended to stay in Vancouver. Originally, the Mexican native came to Vancouver in 2006 for a little R&R and for some snowboarding. “I was only going to stay two months and then head to the UK to open a Mexican restaurant,” he quips.
One day while walking around Gastown, Ernesto came upon Nuba. “I peeked in and felt this energy,” he explains. “The smells were wonderful. The next day, I tried their falafel and it was spectacular, the best I’d ever had.” He was soon having coffee with the owner, Victor Bouzide. The Lebanese-born Victor had launched Nuba in 2003 to introduce Vancouverites to his grandmother’s authentic recipes, dating back generations. Before long, the two were discussing a partnership.
“I was very familiar with Lebanese food because the region of Mexico I come from is home to a lot of Lebanese people,” explains Ernesto. Soon afterward, the two started plans to expand to a second location and Ernesto hasn’t looked back since. As of 2017, Nuba has four locations, a commissary kitchen — where all the sauces, soups and spice mixes are made daily and sent to its eateries — and a highly successful catering business.
