Offerings include fresh meals, small-batch condiments
Kis Abderrazek, who is opening a Moroccan street food and smoothie bar at Belvedere Square, figures that having a direct line to an esteemed chef will give him a leg up in his new venture.
“All of my recipes come from my mother in Morocco,” Abderrazek says. “Even now, she calls me every week to remind me how things should taste.”
A native of Morocco’s capital city of Rabat, he is the founder of Kesh & Fresh, which is open six days a week at Belvedere Square. His goal is to provide an authentic Moroccan food experience for customers.
“When people try Moroccan food for the first time, they’re always surprised by the balance—sweet and salty, spicy but never overwhelming,” Abderrazek says. “It’s comfort food that still feels exciting.”
His specialty is harissa, a chili paste that includes garlic, spices and herbs. “Harissa is my signature. It takes me hours to make one batch, but it has to be perfect—spicy, smoky and a little sweet.”
In addition to finding fresh dishes made with harissa at Kesh & Fresh, customers are also able to purchase it and other small-batch condiments and sauces, such as aioli and olive pâté, made by hand by Abderrazek.
“I’m not here to be the biggest,” he says. “I’m here to be authentic. Every sauce, every dish—it’s all made by hand, in small batches, just like back home.”
Abderrazek’s cooking and restaurant experiences took him to Austria and the Netherlands before he arrived in the United States 15 years ago. In recent years he has been working in the Washington area, operating an online retail store and selling at farmers markets.
He heard about Belvedere Square through a chance conversation with another market vendor and immediately felt it was the right fit. “I came here because Belvedere Square felt right. It’s a community, not just a market, and I want to grow with it,” he says.
Abderrazek says has been encouraged by Belvedere Square’s welcoming atmosphere and that visitors from D.C. have been impressed by the neighborhood.
“I’ve sold at some of the hardest markets in D.C.—DuPont Circle, Old Town Alexandria—but Baltimore is where I want to build something lasting.” He has moved from Springfield, Virginia, to cut down on commuting and give him more time to focus on his new operation.
The store reflects Abderrazek’s personal touch. “I built this place with my own hands,” he says. “The wallpaper, the equipment, even the signs—I wanted people to feel Morocco when they walk in.”
Abderrazek describes himself as a “people person” and believes his personality is a key reason why customers stay, talk and return. “For me, food is not just cooking; it’s connection,” he says. “I love to stand in front of people, talk with them, and see their faces when they try something new.”
Kesh & Fresh’s current hours are 2 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Once staff is fully trained, Abderrazek plans to be open all week.
Some of the popular items on the menu include chicken with harissa, beef tagine and chicken labneh with harissa and lemon, which features a yogurt-based cheese. He plans to add more sweets and eventually Moroccan breakfast offerings, such as traditional pancakes served with amlou, an almond spread.
He also hopes that the Belvedere Square location is just the beginning. He would like to see three or more locations throughout the city as well as the expansion of packaged food production in partnership with a shared kitchen.
“I see this place as more than a food stall,” he says. “It’s a starting point—maybe for other chefs, for other small businesses, for people who want to bring new flavors to York Road.”