The Des Moines Art Festival returns this weekend, and with it the Interrobang Film Festival, a free-to-attend, juried show featuring 36 films. One of those films is a new documentary about Muslim chef Kamal Hammouda, based in Grinnell, and his life in food, family and politics.
Directed by Nich Perez, Kamal’s blends interviews with Hammouda, his wife Laura Fendt, and their children and grandchild with ravishing shots of the meals Kamal cooks and serves. Featuring Mediterranean staples including ta’ameya, moussaka with liver pâté and golden lentil soup, the audience learns about this Iowan family alongside their dishes.
Hammouda is candid about how his food and culture have been historically received in Grinnell. When opening his first restaurant, The Last Egyptian, in 1992, Hammouda recalls a conversation in which he stated he would not be selling pork.
“But this is Iowa,” someone replied.
“But this is me,” Hammouda retorts.
The most fascinating quality of Kamal’s is how it toes the line between optimism and pessimism, ultimately delivering an earnest depiction of racial tension but persistent community-building in rural Iowa. Hammouda, Fendt and their family do not claim that it has been perfect for them in Grinnell; they acknowledge that their clientele was limited, but they give credit where it’s due and express tremendous gratitude to their neighbors, who have consistently shown support.
The production of the film mirrors its thesis. Made in collaboration with the NonProfit Film Collective, as well as documentary students from Grinnell College, Perez ultimately dedicates Kamal’s to immigrants facing violent deportation, as well as those in the community who defend and protect them.
While food commands much of the film’s focus, the second half centers Hammouda’s forays into politics. The chef ran for the Iowa House and Grinnell mayor, twice. Candidate Hammouda spotlights immigrant workers’ rights, food health and safety, and agricultural history while hosting farm-to-table meals.
When Hammouda ultimately loses these races, we again see Kamal’s interest in realism: clearly, the city was not as ready for change as Hammouda hoped it was.
Still, he has not given up on giving back, and continues to take care of his city. Hammouda and Fendt have collaborated with The Iowa Kitchen, which they started following after the 2020 derecho. The nonprofit focuses on community meal distribution for those in need, while educating young adults on nutritious, budget-friendly cooking.
In the service industry, the phrase “open-hand service method” refers to the etiquette of serving a customer with the hand corresponding to the side of you they are on. If the customer is to your right, you serve them with your right hand, and that way, you are never reaching across or presenting a block between you and the customer. It is not the end-all-be-all of good customer service, but it does subtly indicate a seamless and closer interaction with the customer.
At the end of the film, Hammouda and Fendt’s son Adam delivers a beautiful speech that encapsulates the spirit of his family and the film itself, referring to his father’s “unflinching openhandedness,” which taught him about the importance of creating good in your community. Openhandedness is more than just a rule of etiquette; it is a sign of character. Kamal’s is an intimate film about a family’s loyalty and adaptability.
