From refugee camp in desert to Special Forces interpreter

By SARABETH WALLER

SEMO News Service

An Iraq native and his wife have become somewhat familiar faces in the downtown Dexter area.

Dhafer Al-Makuter and his wife, Melissa, opened Dhafer's Mediterranean Steakhouse just over a year ago on S. Locust Street.

Al-Makuter was born near Baghdad, Iraq. In 1991, his family fled the country when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.

"We went to Saudi [Arabia] and we stayed in a refugee camp for two and a half years," he said. "It was not good. We lived in the desert."

When the United Nations intervened, Al-Makuter and his family were able to choose where they wanted to live. In 1993, he moved to the United States at age 18 with his father, mother, brother and sister. His family now resides in St. Louis, Mo.

Al-Makuter was a little nervous about the transition to a new country, but found residents were very accommodating.

"I found a lot of good Christian people, and most good Christian people like to help," he said. "They are kind and sweet. It's a great country. I'm glad to be here."

Al-Makuter strove to turn his passion into a career once in the United States.

"I love to cook," he said. "I used to have to cook for guys who didn't have families [in the refugee camp]."

He began working as a dishwasher and then a cook at the Marriott West in St. Louis, Mo., where he met his wife. Melissa's family is from Southeast Missouri, and her father, Mike Hawkins, formerly pastored at Second Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff. The two married in 1999 and have two sons, Joseph, 11, and Jacob, 10.

Over the next several years, Al-Makuter worked at various casinos and resorts in Kansas City, Mo., and around Lake of the Ozarks, including the Lodge of the Four Seasons. While at Argosy Casino in Kansas City, he underwent training and was promoted to sous chef, second-in-command in the busy kitchen.

After a friend and fellow Iraqi was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Iraq, Al-Makuter decided to join the military. In 2004, he joined Special Forces and served as an Arabic interpreter and interrogator in Iraq, working with agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"I went there to make a difference," Al-Makuter said. "Plus, I'm an American citizen and I wanted to show my loyalty to the U.S."

He also worked with the U.S. Department of State in the United States Embassy in Iraq, and served on the Provincial Reconstruc-tion Team. He worked with Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the whole Iraq war theater, as well as an expert on Iraqi tribes.

"I was basically the coordinator between the U.S. government and the Iraqi government," Al-Makuter said. "I have a lot of contacts with the Iraqi government."

Al-Makuter said he hoped to show Americans what Iraqis are really like.

"The people of Iraq are not terrorists," he explained. "The Iraqi people always have good working relationships with the military."

The Al-Makuters' move to Southeast Missouri came after a visit to Dexter, where Melissa's grandmother lives.

"When we drove through this town, I said, 'I can see myself having a restaurant in this town,'" Al-Makuter remembers.

While continuing to work in Iraq, Al-Makuter began sending money home to his wife to find and remodel a building for his dream. Eventually the location at 117 S. Locust St. became available, and they purchased it.

About two years after buying the property, Dhafer's Mediterranean Steakhouse opened in June 2011.

"Our goal was to have a place where people can walk in the front door and feel like they've traveled somewhere," Melissa explained.

Before becoming a pastor, Melissa's father served 21 years in the military. The family traveled extensively, and Melissa says she appreciates flavors from around the world. She explained while some associate Mediterranean food strictly with the Middle East, Mediter-ranean cuisine includes food from countries like France, Greece and Italy.

"We bring the spices and flavors from different countries and meld them together," she said.

"Business has been very good," Al-Makuter said, adding he and Melissa strive to offer fresh cuisine and flavors.

"I try to bring the big city style to Dexter," Al-Makuter added. "It's a good community. I'm so glad I'm in Dexter."