Saad Awad is the Production and Training Manager at Beautiful Day. With over 20 years of experience in the food industry, Saad ensures our kitchen runs smoothly and that our adult trainees get the support and skills they need to become self-sufficient.
Originally from Damascus, Syria, Saad always knew he wanted to leave due to the corruption and conflict that plagued life in his home country. Despite the chaos, he had the opportunity to learn English at a school across the street from an upscale French restaurant where he was employed.
Saad's journey to the United States in 2002 wasn't easy and included a trip on a 10-person speed boat packed with 70 people. After meeting his wife in the US, he returned to Syria while his paperwork was processed, where he stayed for two years before he could come back, this time not smuggled on a boat in the middle of the night.
For Saad, it's not just his love of cooking and working on new recipes that makes his work at Beautiful Day so rewarding, but the fact that he is helping those who need it most. "I see myself in the participants and can feel what they feel because I know from experience how hard it can be to rebuild your life."
