People of Meatpacking: Ibrahim from Feast on Us

As we continue our journey into the People Of Meatpacking series, we are excited to share the story of Feast On Us owner, Ibrahim Eldomyati. Having spent more than thirty years deeply rooted in the core of the Meatpacking community, Ibrahim successfully serves up up the perfect blend of delicious food, neighborhood know-how, and inspiring ideas. Learn more about Ibrahim and his journey in the interview below: 

MTPK: What do you love about your job and working in Meatpacking?

IE: The reason I got into the food business is because of my love for creativity. Putting together ingredients to make a dish that is filled with flavors and tells a story is one of my favorite things. I’ve been in the Meatpacking District for over 30 years and what I’ve enjoyed most is getting to know people. I’ve had a laundromat as a neighbor, a community center and many butchers that have all gone now but their impacts on my time in this neighborhood will always be a part of the Feast On Us story.

MTPK: How did you get started in this line of work?

IE: When I was in Egypt I wanted to study French culinary but I studied philosophy instead at Alexandria University. After college, I moved to NYC in 1984 and I had a blank slate and decided to follow my dream into the food business. I picked up some jobs, that I worked for free, to learn the business and the behind the scenes. I went to culinary school while working at multiple restaurants. After seeing the creation of a variety of dishes I chose the catering business. There is an opportunity to create a new vision every day, bring people’s events to life and to create an atmosphere of love, bonding, and a spread of delicious foods. Every event is a different story and at Feast On Us we work to bring people’s visions to life the best way we can.

MTPK: What is the story behind Feast on Us?

IE: Feast On Us was created in 1993 and it was my first business venture. It was a risky decision to go off on my own but I took the opportunity to send out free catering spreads for all photo agencies across NYC. It was a rocky time, everything was new and I was independent. I brought my dedicated attitude and my ambition to every dish I created. After 6 months at the launch of the business we were booked by major magazines, photographers and agencies across the city. It was an exciting time. Twenty five years later we decided to open the storefront to get to know the changing Meatpacking community. It gave us the chance to get to know our neighbors and all the people working here. Now 30 years later, we still continue to focus mainly on catering and we love to meet everyone in the community during our take out lunch hours. Feast on Us has always been a family run business and it continues to be a labor of love and we hope you all feel that from us every day.