HAZELWOOD, Mo. — Cooking feels like home for Wesam Hamed.
Hamed said, "I've been cooking all my life, I grew up cooking."
The restaurant owner came to the United States more than 20 years ago for change.
He brought Middle Eastern food to north St. Louis County with his restaurant Kaslik Mediterranean Cuisine.
It's been serving food to the Hazelwood community for a decade.
The cuisine brings comfort in a time of chaos.
On Friday, it reached more than 60 days of the Israel-Hamas war.
"We need to stop the war," Hamed said.
The crisis has altered so many lives, including theirs.
"It is disappointing, very emotional. Everything has changed, business has changed all over the world, it has changed in America ... changed in the Middle East," he added.
Hamed recently visited his home in the West Bank.
"There was not much transportation, but I went through Jordan and Jerusalem and to my hometown. I stuck around there. There aren't many places to go, there aren't many places open. It's shut down," he said.
His three-week visit was for his family, especially to check in on his four children. Their ages are 22, 19, 16 and 13.
While spending time with loved ones, he also had glimpses of war.
"Nobody is doing anything, honestly it's bad. It's like a big jail, everyone staying where they are at. There is no transportation, you don't see much," he said.
His livelihood brought him back to the U.S., but his heart remains overseas, as he cooks with a constant reminder of home.
He said he might return soon.