Winter 2023

60 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 3 Photo: Kelli Uldall I found my passion,” Sneeh says of his hospitality career. Since arriving from Syria in 2004 —speaking no English—he has built an enviable enterprise, now comprised of five highly successful restaurants: Dametra, Catch and PortaBella in Carmel, and Dametra Fresh Mediterranean in Monterey and Marina…with more on the horizon. Sneeh’s first hospitality experience was as a temp banquet worker at the AT&T Pro-Am.“I worked so hard that I was hired to work full time at Spanish Bay,” he says. He found that he loved it. “I had a five-year plan to open a restaurant,” a dream he accomplished in just four years, opening Dametra on Ocean Avenue with friend and business partner Faisal Nimri. “I wanted Dametra to feel like welcoming guests into my home.We eat, we drink, we play music.”That’s exactly what happens at Dametra. It was an instantaneous success. Soon the partners purchased PortaBella and the latest, Catch, a seafood house, was added in 2020. His next brainstorm? “People want fresh, healthy food and they want affordability and fast casual.” So, Dametra Fresh was born. Next on Sneeh’s agenda is taking that concept national. “We hope to establish two in the Bay Area within 18 months, and then move quickly to open more units.” With his drive and passion, it’s a sure thing. For more information, visit www.dametracafe.com . — Michael Chatfield HOS P I TAL I TY PROF I L E Bashar Sneeh