Usamah Hayyat, Chef and Owner, grew up in Middlebury, the son of an established business owner, Mahmoud Hayyat. After high school he attended the Hannaford Career Center and finished his education at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. His first job as a prep chef was at the National Hotel on Block Island, whre he progressed to executive chef. He was also a chef in Naples, Florida and Narragansett, Rhode Island.

When the opportunity arose to return to Middlebury to run his own market and café, Sama jumped at it. His wife, Marie (the Manager), his sisters and parents are also involved in the business.

Marie Hayyat, Manager, is a native of Boston, England. She met Sama when she worked at the front desk and in the bar at the National Hotel, RI, in 1999. They were married in the spring of 2006. Marie takes care of everything and everyone at the Middlebury Market and Café and genuinely loves her busy job.