Each time Saameh Kajaan talks about food in the Syrian city of Aleppo, a true culinary zealot emerges. The restaurateur is so serious about local dishes that along with his black, slicked-back hair, confident charisma and 40-year-old bulky frame, he could pass for a Hollywood-type mobster.

“Our homes are all schools for learning how to cook,” he said recently in a tone that belied his good nature. “It comes from Aleppo’s air, its environment … the four seasons we have here.”

Kajaan’s devotion to traditional food has remained intense despite Aleppo’s transition in recent years from a booming metropolis to a symbol of suffering brought on by the battles between forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and opposition factions based in the city’s eastern neighborhoods.

Image: Saameh Kajaan shows off a plate of kibbeh at his restaurant Atayeb, where he and his brother serve Aleppan feasts every day. (Nabih Bulos / Los Angeles Times)