dellaram vreeland

Yaqoob Kazan was only 40 days old when his family first fled Afghanistan.

Taliban forces had taken over, and the safest course of action was to find refuge in neighbouring Pakistan where Yaqoob lived for the next 19 years before returning “home”.

“I grew up in Pakistan for 19 years but still after that they said I was a foreigner, which made me feel like I didn’t belong there. You don’t get all the rights of residents of that country,” he says.

“When we went back to my hometown, it was foreign to me. My people were not mine.”

Feeling though his identity was ripped from within him, and having lost his brother to the Taliban, Yaqoob soon made the decision to once again flee Afghanistan to Turkey. Without a visa, money or plane ticket, he had to make the trek by ground – relying solely on the realms above as his source of security.

“Life was difficult for me in general.”

But it was in Turkey that Yaqoob’s life would take a turn for the better. He met his future wife, and was able to secure a partner visa to Australia where he has now lived for almost three years.

Serving as one of Ballarat’s multicultural ambassadors, as well as the co-owner and chef at Kazan Central Asian Kitchen which he heads alongside his wife Hannah, this father-of-two has managed to carve himself a life that is characterised by love, family and community in a new homeland that has welcomed him with open arms.

With his restaurant serving up Turkish and Persian cuisine the likes of which Ballarat has not been privy to before (pilav, kebabs, falafel, handmade Turkish Delights and so much more), Yaqoob’s contributions to the city’s evolving culinary landscape does not go unnoticed.

“Once you are here and you are welcomed by the community, it automatically comes from the inside – that desire to contribute to the society,” he says.

“Afghans are hard workers, they never get tired, they like to showcase their own culture and are proud of their culture and food. These things bring value to a community.”

Discover how the Kazans are infusing culture into regional Victoria’s foodie landscape: @kazan_centralasiankitchen

Words: Dellaram Vreeland
Images: @kazan_centralasiankitchen