Ezekiel Hameen

Ezekiel Hameen (born Ezekiel Davis August 8, 1934 in Birmingham; died December 1, 2023 in Birmingham) was a restaurateur.

Ezekiel was the son of Ben and Mattie Davis. He began working in food service at The Club while attending Ullman High School. After graduating he worked in Texas and California, but returned to Birmingham in 1967.

Davis and his first wife, the former Barbara Gray, had three children: Latarsha, Korey, and Jedarrie. In the late 1960s he converted to Islam and changed his last name. He worked as a machinist for U.S. Pipe, retiring after 36 years.

Hameen's first restaurant was Your Fish Box at 509 17th Street North in the 1970s. He later opened La'Vase Fine Foods on 4th Avenue North in the Civil Rights District, and Jabbo's. His children took over La'Vase after Barbara's death, and renamed it Miss B's in her honor.

Hameen remarried, to the former Carolyn Bolivar in 2006. Together they opened Z's Restaurant at 104 17th Street North in August 2008.

The couple was forced to close Z's during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. Hameen continued to bake his famed vanilla bean pies for catering orders. He died at home in December 2023.

References

• O'Quinn, Kristina (January 1, 2018) "Small Business Monday – spotlight on Z’s Restaurant." Bham Now
• Stuart, Shauna (May 2, 2020) "‘It’s a tough business’; Z’s Restaurant closes in Birmingham, but legacy lives on." The Birmingham News
• Ho, Justin (Jan 20, 2021) "After closing their doors, restaurant owners ask, 'What's next?'" Marketplace.
• Stuart, Shauna (December 6, 2023) "Birmingham’s Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Hameen of Z’s Restaurant dead at 89." AL.com