Our Story

The Egyptian Confection is back! 

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Hi, I'm Amani Loutfy (my first name rhymes with Danny). I'm really excited to bring my family’s sweet legacy to you.

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It's hard to talk about the family business without sharing a little of its very romantic backstory. 

My parents, Youssef “Joe” and Dorothy, met in December 1951 aboard a ship sailing from New York to Cairo. My dad, an Egyptian merchant marine, was 26 at the time and my mom, a Seattleite, was just 19 years old. All it took was a couple of weeks of dark and stormy nights crossing the Atlantic, a stop in Casablanca, and Dorothy Clardy declared she was leaving her family and moving to Africa with a handsome sailor. The rest, as they say, is history.

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They moved stateside, to Seattle together in 1962 after Dorothy had had enough of the desert and when Joe, then a decorated Captain on the Suez Canal, was over British bureaucracy. He left his true love of the sea behind, knowing he'd have had to start fresh after being the top rung on the ladder in Egypt. In those early years he took odd jobs, eventually settling into a great career at Boeing. For 13 years, his enormous intellect and talent were utilized and lauded as he translated Arabic language for overseas proposale, and designed logos for dignitaries (his stories were great!). Mom also worked at Boeing for a while, as a secretary in the steam turbine division.

One night at a gathering around our dining room table, a neighbor suggested, “What about that baclawa you make at Christmas? People love that!” And boom, The Egyptian Confection was born. The business grew, supporting us full-time until my dad died, too soon, in 1991. 

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I grew up baking baclawa. I loved working alongside my dad, long stretches of quiet, or chatting merrily. My mom kept the business going after he was gone, mostly as a seasonal venture. She too has now passed, in 2020. I am truly honored to tap my roots and share our delicious treat and family history with you. When I refer to 'us,’ and say 'we' are baking, I really mean it. They are with me in the kitchen, every moment. 

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I really hope that every bite of our baclawa brings you pleasure and comfort, especially in these challenging times.