Rev Ashlee Wiest-Laird, for 23 years the pastor of the venerable First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain, said she had what she called “a very formative experience” in 1995-96 when her husband Lance worked on his Harvard Divinity School dissertation, “Christian Muslim Relations,” in Bethlehem.

They would return to the Middle East from time to time after Lance graduated with his Th.D. in Comparative Religion in 1998, and Wiest-Laird became pastor of First Baptist, as Wiest-Laird told The Bulletin in her office on a recent afternoon.

Wiest-Laird said she wanted to do more to help explain the Palestinian experience and culture, because she believes the Palestinians were misunderstood.

Then in 2022 with the cooperation of First Baptist, she took a five-week sabbatical in Palestine and a way was found.

“This is a personal project,” Wiest-Laird said, “The church supported me by giving me extra leave time on top of my vacation time.”

She began taking trips with groups beginning in 2023.

“Thus was different from the typical pilgrimage,” Laird said. “I wanted to introduce people to the culture, the political situation, by visiting people at their homes, and meeting local church people. Most Palestinians are Muslim, Greek Orthodox and other Eastern Orthodox religions.”

“They [Palestinians] are a very generous people,”she said. “It’s very, very difficult for them under occupation.”

Wiest-Laird took small groups of about ten people twice a year through the Middle East Council of Churches as “an alternative to travel groups,” she said.

Wiest-Laird said her last trip was in November 2025, and she plans to return in July.

“Last year I met up with a friend from 30 years ago, Adnan from Bethlehem. He owned some shops and a coffee shop, but he said tourism was down,” she said.

“So great if you could have a Palestinian restaurant in your neighborhood here,” he said, and an idea was born: Bethlehem Café.

Since Café Beirut closed in Jan 2024, Wiest-Laird said there has been no Middle Eastern restaurant. But Café Beirut served Lebanese food, and Wiest-Laird emphasized that hers would be a Palestinian restaurant with Palestinian specialties.

She said she wanted to bring the Palestinian culture and experience to the neighborhood, not a Mediterranean restaurant.

Wiest-Laird said she wanted the restaurant to absorb the Palestinian cultural experience with arts, crafts some books, her photographs; what she said would be the feel of Palestine while serving authentic Palestinian food.

“To feel like you’re in Bethlehem, lifting up Palestinian culture.”

Wiest-Laird went looking for space last year: “One site already was a restaurant, but they were hard to find. It had to be local.”

Wiest-Laird found a corner location, a 3,000-square-foot former law office at 376 Centre St. at the corner of Sheridan.

“An amazing location right in Hyde Square with even an outdoor space for a patio.”

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Wiest-Laird said she signed a five-year lease renewable for another five years,” with a great lead time. “We signed in November [2025] and we just started paying rent.”

“We have a little bit of start-up money.”

The location is literally a cornucopia of international options. The Bulletin stood on the doorstep of #376 and could see Viva Taco, Brendan Behan Pub, Blue Nile, Authentic Dominican Cuisine, and Ethiopian Café.

“The build-out will cost $600,000,” Wiest-Laird said and she is looking for financing.

“Most banks won’t loan to startups or [startup] restaurants,” she said adding she is talking with two development corporations for funding.

“We will have to make the restaurant from scratch.”

Wiest-Laird has hired a Palestinian architect from Roslindale, Lena Ismail, for the build-out design and Issam Hijazi as the contractor.

“We’re looking for a kitchen consult now, signing a contract with one.”

“Our biggest goal is finding a Palestinian chef.” Wiest-Laird said, and she showed a sample menu to The Bulletin.

Daily specials would include:

Mansaf-lamb cooked in yogurt and rice on lavash bread; Maqloubeh, an upside-down chicken dish with rice; eggplant cauliflower and potato topped with slivered almonds; or Musakan, roasted chicken with sautéed sumac onions, pine nuts and taboon bread. With Arab coffee, mint lemonade, or pomegranate juice.

“Adnan is a consultant although because of tourist visa issues he can’t stay for long,” Wiest-Laird said. “He’s a paid consultant. He should be here in the next few months.”

Now, it’s the city process.

After getting approval from the Jamaica Plain Public Service Committee on May 5 for a Common Victuallar (CV) license, Wiest-Laird needs to get licensing board approval for that CV, a building permit and financing.