{"id":336333,"date":"2026-05-28T19:25:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T19:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/336333\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T19:25:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T19:25:22","slug":"rumi-baklava-launches-on-shaw-avenue-in-fresno","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/336333\/","title":{"rendered":"Rumi Baklava launches on Shaw Avenue in Fresno"},"content":{"rendered":"

What started as a local coffee roaster at a central Fresno farmers market is blossoming into something much bigger \u2014 and sweeter.<\/p>\n

Fabiano Coffee Roasters<\/a> has already opened its own bakery.<\/p>\n

Next up, it\u2019s planning a new Mediterranean cafe in the former Lewis Diamond Co. spot at Alluvial Avenue and Fresno Street in northeast Fresno. (The jewelry store recently moved to The Row at Heritage Grove at Shepherd and Willow avenues).<\/p>\n

While work continues on transforming the jewelers into an eatery, Rumi Baklava<\/a> is open at Shaw and Marks avenues. It\u2019s at 2767 W. Shaw Ave., behind Outback Steakhouse, in the former Araz Bakery spot.<\/p>\n

Owner Hamed Alghazali opened it May 1, selling racks of baklava made with pistachios, walnuts and cashews. There\u2019s also \u201ccrown of the king,\u201c a round pastry filled with nuts covered in a shiny, sweet glaze.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s the top-selling kunafa, a dessert made with cheese.<\/p>\n

\"Hamed Hamed Alghazali, owner of Rumi Baklava, stands over trays of freshly made Middle Eastern pastries at the new bakery on West Shaw Avenue at Marks in Fresno on Tuesday, May 16, 2026. Alghazali, who owns Fabiano Coffee Roasters, is also planning to open a Mediterranean cafe. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com Behind the scenes at Rumi Baklava<\/p>\n

Most of the pastries are Syrian. That\u2019s because the pastry chef, Anas Hamad, is from Syria.<\/p>\n

Like so many Fresno businesses, there\u2019s a lot going on behind the storefront; a winding backstory of the owner\u2019s path to this bakery, along with the stories of the diverse people working in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Rumi Baklava is named after the 13th-century Persian poet.<\/p>\n

On a recent morning, employee Nargiz Pogosyan is busy making lahmajoun \u2014 sometimes called Armenian pizza \u2014 spreading ground beef on flattened dough. She\u2019s a holdover from the previous bakery, which specialized in savory Armenian baked goods.<\/p>\n

Ask her where she learned to make it and the answer is buried so deep she can\u2019t really tell you.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t learn,\u201d she said. \u201cMy whole life, I make it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Chef Chef Anas Hamad and Nargiz Pogosyan prepare lahmajoun, or Armenian pizza, at Rumi Baklava, a new bakery on West Shaw Avenue at Marks in Fresno. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n

Owner Alghazali is from Yemen. He moved to the United States when he was 16, and went back to Yemen to live a few times.<\/p>\n

He was there for the Arab Spring, the pro-democracy uprising that swept through the Middle East starting in 2010.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot of excitement, a lot of hope,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

But civil war broke out in Yemen in 2014. Alghazali left for grad school on a scholarship at the Toulouse School of Economics in France, one of the top economics schools in Europe.<\/p>\n

After trying his hand at food importing back in Yemen, where things were getting increasingly difficult, he moved to New York. He worked as a policy advisor for the United Arab Emirates at the U.N. Security Council (and that\u2019s still his day job, though he works remotely).<\/p>\n

During the pandemic, he packed up the wife and two kids and moved them to Fresno to be closer to family. He bought Fabiano\u2019s from Karen DeSousa in 2023.<\/p>\n

\"Trays Trays of Middle Eastern pastries are prepped for the display cabinet at Rumi Baklava, a new bakery on West Shaw Avenue at Marks in Fresno. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com Rumi Coffee coming soon<\/p>\n

Now, he\u2019s focused on sharing the food and culture of the Middle East, especially in the new location that\u2019s still in the works.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will train our team to be hospitable, generous, try to showcase the culture, our tradition, and be unique,\u201d he said. \u201cThe food items you\u2019ll find, you won\u2019t find it anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s hoping to open the new location at the end of June.<\/p>\n

Alghazali has been working on it since he signed the lease back in November, ordering custom furniture and redoing everything inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to say it\u2019s a stay-and-linger cafe; it\u2019s not a grab-and-go,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s looking to hire about 20 baristas.<\/p>\n

Fabiano Coffee (yes, he dropped the \u201cs\u201d from the name) will be served at both Rumi Baklava and the new cafe, which will be called Rumi Coffee.<\/p>\n

He continues to sell the coffee at the Vineyard Farmers Market<\/a> near Blackstone and Shaw avenues. Several Fresno-area coffee shops also carry it, including La Boulangerie<\/a>, Collect Coffee Bar<\/a>, and On The Edge<\/a> and the Parisien<\/a> in Clovis.<\/p>\n

So far, the bakery has provided a satisfaction that\u2019s different than his career in public policy, Alghazali said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, every day you see people come in, enjoying the items you make. You\u2019re accomplishing something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Details: Rumi Bakery is at 2767 W. Shaw Ave. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.<\/p>\n

\"Crown Crown of the king \u2014 round pastries filled with nuts covered in a shiny, sweet glaze \u2014sit in the display case at Rumi Baklava, a new bakery on West Shaw Avenue at Marks in Fresno. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com \"Chef Chef Anas Hamad works on pastries at Rumi Baklava, a new bakery on West Shaw Avenue at Marks in Fresno. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com \"Rumi Rumi Baklava is now open on West Shaw and Marks in Fresno. It’s the second business opened by Hamed Alghazali who also runs Fabiano Coffee Roasters and will soon open Rumi Coffee on Fresno and Alluvial. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Bethany Clough<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fresno Bee<\/p>\n

Bethany Clough covers restaurants and retail for The Fresno Bee. A reporter for more than 20 years, she now works to answer readers\u2019 questions about business openings, closings and other business news. She has a degree in journalism from Syracuse University and her last name is pronounced Cluff.\n <\/p>\n