Ever since Le Club Fez, Maybank Hwy.’s short-lived, much-loved Moroccan restaurant, closed back in ’07, North African eats have been hard to come by in Charleston. But Raul Sanchez of Maya Del Sol is helping change that by handing over his restaurant to his friend Younesse Alami for Moroccan Monday pop-up dinners. Alami, who was born in Morocco and moved to the States when he was 26 says he grew up cooking with his mother. “I was the youngest of 10, so I was always with her in the kitchen,” he says. Upon moving to South Carolina to get his degree in travel and tourism — Alami works at the Charleston Marriott — he shared housing with Raul, who was blown away by his food.
“I bake my own bread every day and don’t buy anything from the box or can, it’s all prepared with love,” Alami says. And now he’s sharing that love with locals. Every other Monday tortas and chilaquiles make way for chicken tagine and couscous royale. But you gotta get to Maya Del Sol early. A fan tells us the seats get packed pretty quick, so call ahead. And if you don’t make it tonight, May 12 is the next Moroccan Monday installment.
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