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![\"Famena](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4140437_web1_19214807_150507-FAMENA-S007.JPG\")
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Famena and her husband Mohamad Ally gained a reputation for their popular rotis. (Boris Minkevich \/ Free Press files)<\/p>\n
These are just a few of the hundreds of glowing Google reviews for Famena\u2019s Famous Roti and Curry, a Garry Street hole-in-the-wall with famously large portions and famously warm hospitality.<\/p>\n
Bebi Famena Ally, known as Famena to many, was the restaurant\u2019s namesake and its kind, generous heart. Ally died on Feb. 21 at the age of 66 following an illness.<\/p>\n
Born in the port town of New Amsterdam, Guyana, Ally was the fifth of 11 siblings.<\/p>\n
She was a natural entrepreneur and opened her first business buying milk from local farmers to sell at the market.<\/p>\n
It was in her hometown that Ally met the man who would become her husband. Their first encounter was love at first sight for Mohamad Ally, who was struck by her kindness. He proposed the very next day. The couple married three months later, setting in motion a supportive partnership and a deep 39-year relationship.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was a wonderful woman, very care-giving, very honest and loving,\u201d Mohamad says, while sitting at the counter of his downtown restaurant. \u201cWe had a good life together, a very happy life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ally moved to Winnipeg in 1991 with her mother and sister to join another sister who had emigrated to the city. Mohamad followed three years later.<\/p>\n
She worked as a babysitter, telemarketer and home care attendant upon her arrival and landed an administrative assistant position after completing a course in business administration. She spent years in the office world before losing her job suddenly in 2007 \u2014 a sign that it was time to become her own boss once again.<\/p>\n
The seed of Famena\u2019s started with a newspaper ad. The owner of the Garrick Hotel was looking for someone to run the caf\u00e9 inside the Garry Street venue. Ally \u2014 a talented home cook with no restaurant experience \u2014 decided to give it a shot.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t SUPPLIED<\/p>\n Bebi Famena Ally and husband Mohamad Ally<\/p>\n \u201cI went along with her,\u201d says Mohamad, who is equally gifted in the kitchen and was working as a cleaner at the time. \u201cShe started it and put me to work.\u201d<\/p>\n Initially, the couple served soup, sandwiches, perogies and pizza, while selling rotis as a side business. It wasn\u2019t long, however, until they added the Caribbean-style curried meat and chickpea wraps to the menu.<\/p>\n Their rotis gained popularity through word-of-mouth advertising \u2014 literally, with customers raving to friends after trying the dish (and the homemade hot sauce).<\/p>\n The Garrick changed hands in 2010, forcing Ally and Mohamad to look for a new location. Luckily, they didn\u2019t have to go far.<\/p>\n Famena\u2019s now resides just a few doors down in a blink-and-you\u2019ll-miss-it storefront underneath a parking garage. Here Mohamad and Ally took centre stage, serving heaping piles of food and friendly banter from behind the curved counter.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were a team,\u201d Mohamad says. \u201cShe was very good with customers \u2026 she treated everyone like a human.\u201d<\/p>\n Outside of the restaurant, the couple, who are Muslim, were active in their mosque, while prioritizing rest and relaxation \u2014 something that can often be a challenge for owner-operators.<\/p>\n At home, Ally spent her time baking pastries and cakes, and had a penchant for reality TV.<\/p>\n
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