The Secret is the Olive Oil
An exquisite five course experience
1st Annual East Coast Tour August 2026
Cameron Capara - Olive grove night time
THE SECRET IS THE OLIVE OIL
In the Palestinian village of Al Walaja, just outside Bethlehem, there is an olive tree. She is believed to be over 4,000 years old. She was already ancient when Rome was founded. She was already ancient when the pyramids were built. Her roots have held the soil of Palestine since before memory began. Her olive oil has been nourishing us longer than empires have stood, longer than borders have been drawn, longer than any war ever fought.
Tended to and guarded by Salah Abu Ali and his family, over the years the tree has been given a variety of nicknames; Abu Ali calls her “The Fortress,” though she has also been dubbed “The Old Woman,” “The Mother of Olives,” and “Palestine’s Bride.” Today, she is widely known as Al Badawi—“The Bedouin” or “The Great One.”
"Al Badawi is patient. She does not rush. She sinks her roots deep and remains steadfast."
Al Badawi is patient. She does not rush. She sinks her roots deep and remains steadfast. Through drought, through war, through occupation, she keeps growing. Bearing fruit, caring for us in every season of our lives.
For Palestinians, the olive tree is not just a plant. It is an ancestor. A relative. A witness. It has seen everything we have seen and keeps standing. It has fed us when there was nothing else. It has anointed our elders, lit our lamps, soothed our wounds. The olive tree, though, does not only care for Palestinians. It cares for anyone who is displaced. Anyone who is grieving. Anyone who is fighting to survive. Anyone who needs the steady strength of sumud and sabr.
Al Badawi does not ask for your papers. She does not see borders. She only asks that you taste her, remember the land and enjoy.
The story of Al Badawi is just one of the stories Muna will share during The Secret is the Olive Oil.
THE FIVE COURSE MENU
The menu will always highlight olive oil, letting guests lean in and learn about flavors, profiles and terroirs.
Palestinian staples such as zaatar, sumac, pomegranate molasses and freekeh will feature prominently. Proteins like local halal lamb, organic heritage chicken, chickpeas, black lentils and squeaky halloumi will be complimented by fresh herbs and seasonal produce. Wine from Balad Al Sham (often known as the Levant in the West), arak liquor and rose agua fresca will all be available at every five course tasting.
The precise dishes and details will vary with each event and partner.
BROOKLYN NYC
Saturday August 8
Private Home
One seating at 7pm, 16 guests
Private home for a special cozy kick off to the tour. The full five courses family-style featuring either a halal lamb or French black lentil entree.
Plus a special cardamom coffee experience, Your Future Told, free one night only as a thank you for our NYC debut guests. The coffee grounds will tell you your fate. What exactly depends on your presence and the cup.
PHILADELPHIA, PA
Wednesday, August 12
Private Home
6pm meal served
Benefit meal for single mom Haneen and her five kids, plus the mothers and orphans she serves in North Gaza. Muna will be making some Palestinian family recipes and folks are welcome to bring a potluck dish if they wish. Private home in Cedar Park, West Philly.
Show up early to learn Palestinian recipes, tips and tricks in the kitchen while helping prepare the night’s meal. Stay late to help tidy up. RSVP and mention which dish you plan to bring in the “Anything else we should know?” section.
Sliding scale $5-50 per person, NOTAFLOF (no one turned away for lack of funds).
WASHINGTON DC
Friday, August 14
Benefit show + meal! Shadow Riot and more bands TBA. A reunion with Muna’s old school punk rock homies, Positive Force DC.
Fundraiser for Food Not Bombs Gaza and MC Boz Salman in Gaza. Sliding scale $5-50 NOTAFLOF (no one turned away for lack of funds). Please RSVP for the headcount so we cook enough.
1525 Newton St NW
Washington, DC 20010
CHARLOTTESVILLE VA
Monday, August 17
One seating at 5:30pm, 34 guests
Full five course family-style meal with the highlight entree of msukhan this time, the Palestinian national dish. The meal will feature Birdhouse’s free-range organic Cornish Cross hens from local Virginia farms. Msukhan was created to be savored during the olive harvesting season, a dish rich in olive oil, braised red onions, sumac and special seasonings. Muna’s unique vegan version with chickpeas will also be available.
RICHMOND VA
Sunday, August 23
Two seatings, 24 guests each seating
Coffee experience last seating, 16 guests max
For the last night of the tour, Muna reunites with her old friend Evrim, co-owner of the James Beard Award–nominated Sub Rosa Bakery. They are cooking five courses together just like they did when they met as philosophy students at Virginia Commonwealth University, long before either of them became a chef or a baker.
The late seating includes an optional added experience, Your Future Told —a cardamom black coffee reading limited to 16 guests. Peek at what your fortune may hold and learn how to do so for others if you wish.
Evrim & Evin Dogu — Sub Rosa Bakery
Evrim Dogu, whose parents both immigrated from Türkiye, grew up in a culture where bread is still a necessity. Evrim took a detour from a career in education to pursue bread baking and started baking out of his father’s restaurant using a wood-fired pizza oven in 2009, dubbing the project Sub Rosa for the clandestine subscription only model at the time. Later, In 2012, Evrim opened Sub Rosa Bakery in Richmond with his sister, Evin Dogu, who is co-owner and founder of the pastry program.
They work directly with farmers to grow varieties of wheat, rye and corn which is then stone milled in-house, now represented in 100% of their breads and pastries. The Doğus long-term goals include researching and re-presenting lost lineages of grain from Anatolia and the Fertile Crescent and to collaborate with chefs, farmers, breeders, and historians to create a bread culture rooted in tradition but open to innovation.