AUGUST 2023

FEATURE
Left: The Jarbo Family
at Georgina’s wedding.
Below: Sue and Bahi
cooking kabobs.
7 Mile’s
Kabob
King
A Tribute to
Bahi Jarbo
BY CRYSTAL KASSAB JABIRO
A
simple man with an extraordinary
life story, Ablahad “Bahi”
Jarbo left a legacy for his family
and his community.
Bahi was born to farmers Zingel
and Gorgia Jarbo on December 10,
1947, in the village of Telkeppe, Iraq.
As a young boy, he shepherded animals
and cared for his hunting dog.
His mother died when he was 11. His
older sisters helped raise him, as did
his mom’s brother, the late Ramzi
Yono, who taught him how to cut hair.
When he was 18, Bahi was drafted
into the Iraqi Army where in between
training and combat he would trim
soldiers’ hair for extra money. He
served six years in very difficult conditions
because of ongoing conflict in
the region. After he was discharged,
Bahi went to Kuwait and worked for a
sheik as his personal barber. Several
years later he traveled to Lebanon with
a friend to await their American visas.
On March 18, 1976, Bahi arrived in
Detroit, Michigan and was reunited with
his brother Edris, his only sibling in
America. He lived with him on Havana
Street in a section later known as Chaldean
Town because of its large Iraqi-
Chaldean immigrant population. With
only $50 to his name, he started working
at the Big Boy factory in Warren making
ketchup. After a couple of years, he became
a fish salesman for a small, Chaldean-owned
company and later became
a butcher in a supermarket.
Bahi’s older sister Mare, who was
now in Detroit with her family, encouraged
the then 33-year-old to settle
down and start a family. He was not
interested, but she insisted on him
meeting Sabri Shayota’s daughter, a
young and pretty brunette who lived
in the house across the street on Robinwood.
To appease her, he agreed to
meet the girl… but he had to see what
she looked like first. So he offered to
cut Sabri’s hair at home!
When he saw 25-year-old Sue, he
thought she was beautiful. Bahi recognized
her as the girl who cashed
out his invoices for fish delivery at the
market. She was aloof and more interested
in her brother Wisam recording
the haircut on his new video camera.
Innovative for 1980, he had attached a
cord to the TV in the other room for the
family to watch the haircut live, so Sue
and the rest of the kids were laughing
and having fun with it.
Bahi wanted to see her again and
hopefully get her attention. He intentionally
left his clippers there so he
could go back.
The next day, another suitor for
Sue popped up at the Shayotas. Bahi
returned later that same day without
knowing that. Sabri invited him to
come in for some Arak. Sue looked at
Bahi and said to herself, “This man
will be my husband.” When he left,
she discussed the proposals with her
dad. He insisted on Bahi because he
knew him from the market but ultimately
left the choice up to Sue. She
wanted to marry Bahi, so her mom
Miriam called Mare to accept the marriage
proposal. They had a tanatha
(promise ceremony) the next day, New
Year’s Day, 1981.
Four months later, Bahi and Sue
got married at Sacred Heart Chaldean
Catholic Church in Detroit, officiated
by the late Father Jacob Yasso. They
had a big party at Chateau Hall with
over 700 people in attendance.
The next year, their daughter Georgina
was born and Bahi opened a
nameless chaikhana (coffee shop) on
Seven Mile and Havana, at the end of his
street. Bahi started selling kabobs there,
and they were so tasty that everyone in
the neighborhood called them “Bahi’s
kabobs.” He was honored that people
craved his kabobs, but he was bombarded
with orders. So in 1989, he opened
Bahi’s Kabob Restaurant at Seven and
Blake next to Greenfield Union Elementary
School. It was the hot spot for over
a decade. Bahi’s kabobs connected people
in a way that was previously unseen
in Chaldean Town. Even celebrities like
Shaquille O’Neil and Kadim Al-Sahir
loved Bahi’s food!
Throughout the success of his restaurant,
Bahi and Sue had three more
kids: Jarvis, Genelle, and Julian. Bahi
worked seven days a week all day long
to provide for his family. They would
wait up till midnight just to see him
when he came home. Sometimes the
kids would hide from him, and he
would act scared when they jumped
out. At holiday get-togethers, he would
pretend he was talking to Santa or the
Easter Bunny to get their permission to
give away sweet treats and ice cream.
48 CHALDEAN NEWS AUGUST 2023