A Colorado native with familial roots stretching across Palestine and Lebanon, Rema Maaliki brings a deeply personal and globally inspired perspective to the kitchen at BearLeek. Food has always been central in her life—growing up in a home where hosting large dinners was a weekly ritual, Rema found herself drawn to the rhythms of the kitchen from an early age. Her mother and grandmother’s traditional Middle Eastern dishes sparked her love for cooking, laying the foundation for her professional journey to come. 

Starting in the kitchen at Denver’s Mercantile Dining & Provision, Rema sharpened her skills and developed a strong respect for seasonal, ingredient-driven cuisine, continuing later at The Wolf’s Tailor, where the focus on fermentation, pasta-making, and cross-cultural technique pushed her creativity in new directions. After opening a restaurant in Australia and helping shape the menu at Brasserie Brixton, Rema launched her own “Poppy Pop Ups,” a project that allowed her to blend nostalgic family recipes with her professional experience. Now, Rema creatively brings together all the threads of her journey as co-owner and Chef de Cuisine at BearLeek.