On Tuesday, April 30th, at 10am, The Omaha Bakery will host a ribbon-cutting event with the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce. Founder Michelle Kaiser has sold her two bakery locations (one in Bellevue and the other in Elkhorn) to Mohammad Ghaforzai. Ghaforzai took over as owner in January of this year, and Kaisier is staying on for a while to help with the transition.
Ghaforzai’s story is long and complex. It’s also heartbreaking enough to move a person to tears. Ghaforzai was born and raised in Afghanistan, the oldest of eight children. His mother played a large part in his love of cooking, baking, and also giving. Ghaforzai grew up knowing what it meant to think of one’s community first, as his mother would routinely send her children out with home-cooked food for their neighbors. Ghaforzai recalled his mother’s saying: “It’s good for them and good for us.”
In 2001 Ghaforzai took a job washing dishes at the nearby US Military Base. However, once on base, it didn’t take long for people to notice that Ghaforzai spoke several languages fluently. Four languages, in fact. After some interviews and a test, Ghaforzai found himself among US Special Forces, helping communicate and translate at the frontlines of battle. His new position as a translator was crucial, and in more than one case, his communication skills helped save lives.
As the years passed, Ghaforzai earned US Military commendations for bravery. Near the end of his service, Ghaforzai was presented with an opportunity to move to America, with his family set to come shortly after.
After working in different food service positions for a few years in San Francisco, Ghaforzai noticed an opportunity to purchase a bakery in Nebraska. Ghaforzai was familiar with Nebraska as he was initially stationed at Offutt Air Force Base when he came to America. As Ghaforzai investigated the possibility of purchasing the Omaha Bakery, he got to know Kaiser. Unlike many changes in ownership, the two hit it off right away – so much so that they consider each other family.
One of the most heartbreaking chapters of Ghaforzai’s story took place in 2021. His family was set to join him in America as was previously planned, but the same day they were set to fly out of Afghanistan, a suicide bombing attack at the Kabul Airport killed 13 US service members and wounded approximately 170 civilians. Thankfully Ghaforzai’s family were not among those injured. However, the attack shut the airport down and prevented them from joining him in America. They are all still stranded there to this day, forced to move every couple of months, fearful of repercussions by the Taliban for Ghaforzai’s heroic efforts in aiding the US military.
They are all still stranded there to this day, forced to move every couple of months, fearful of repercussions by the Taliban for Ghaforzai’s heroic efforts in aiding the US military.
Kaiser has been working for months to bring his family to America but has hit many roadblocks. She has made multiple calls to government agencies and received different answers each time. She has tried to go through the process of adopting Ghaforzai’s family but was told that she could not adopt or sponsor a family from Afghanistan.
“I’m not going to give up. I am just not sure where to turn next at this point,” Kaiser said.
Any readers with knowledge of how to best pursue this cause and reunite Ghaforzai with his family should contact Michelle Kaiser at the Omaha Bakery – eMail: michelle@theomahabakery.com.
It would be a terrific show of support for Ghaforzai and Kaiser to have a great turnout for the ribbon-cutting event next week. It is open to the public. The Omaha Bakery’s Bellevue location is at 10503 S 15th St, Suite 109 – near 15th and Cornhusker.
