My dad, Jamal is a man of humbleness and works with integrity. Always working hard, no matter if he likes it or not, never the type to complain. I chose to interview him because he is a big inspiration in my life, and I’m greatly indebted for all that he has done for me and my family. He grew up in the heart of the Middle East, Baghdad, Iraq, and has a love for cooking, business, and architecture. But above all, he’s a loving father.  

     Growing up in Baghdad, my dad used to walk 1.5 miles to school, when he was only in elementary, in the blazing hot sun of Iraq. He told me “I would always be doing the best in class, having the highest grades” building his confidence, and integrity ever since he was a kid. Jamal was just like any other kids, loved to play sports, and hung out with his friends, but kept up with his studies.

      When he was 19, he came to America to study construction and architecture. So he went to Wayne State University to get an engineering degree. But it was very hard for him, saying “I came here with only $350 in my pocket, working $1 an hour at a supermarket”. I asked him what was it like working for $1 an hour coming as an immigrant to America, “I hated it, but I didn’t say a thing about it, I had to feed myself, so I hid my emotions”. But that same year, in 1980, the Iraq War struck. He had to drop out of college to help out with the war by donating money and helping with refugees.

  By 1989 he started working as a chef. He never had previous experience with cooking other than helping every now and then back home. He worked his way up the ranks as a chef becoming until he became a sue chef. In 1994 he cooked for Bill Clinton in the Westin Hotel.

   Afterwards, he went back to college to get his business degree, for real estate, and construction. In 1995 he married my mom. In 1997 my brother Ali was born.1998, he started his own construction business. In 1999 my brother Mustafa was born, 2001 my brother was born, and I was born in 2005.

     In 2009 he started his real estate business ‘Prime One’, working as a broker renovating houses, and selling them. Since then he’s been a loving, and caring father for me and all my brothers, and the same goes for my mom. I love both of them to death, and I’m very grateful for everything my parents have given me. He’s a man who’s dedicated to his craft and the art of hard work and dedication.

“Whatever I do, I try to have fun with it, even if I don’t like it”- Jamal Rubaii     

Written by Ahmad Rubaii.