Flights on time. Man yes. Lemonis thank you. Now, ive made a huge decision. Im returning to the country for the very first time. This is my journey to the place where i was born, lebanon a nation of survivors and success stories. Al bayeh my only job, all my life, this one. Lemonis is cooking. Al bayeh yes. Lemonis im gonna learn from its people the best way i know how by finding out how business is done here. Naji theres always a fight. It makes the success even greater. Lemonis i want to get to know the country and its culture. Only then will i be ready to learn about myself and the secrets of my own past. This is my name . Mustafa yes. [ upbeat middle eastern music ] lemonis ive always considered myself lebanese. But i got to be honest with you, i dont know a whole lot about the country of lebanon or my roots. Heres what i do know i was born in 1973 and was left in a beirut orphanage. When i was nine months old, i was adopted be leo and Sophia Lemonis of miami, florida. My dad, leo, is greek. My mom, sophia, was lebanese. I can remember early mornings where my mother would come into my room it would be a bedtime story like most of us are familiar with. And it would always be a book about adoption. She wanted me to understand the gift that i was given to be in america. Like a lot of immigrants, i found my american dream. After college, i got into the family car business and eventually became the ceo of a multibilliondollar company. Plus, i make a little tv on the side. People always ask me, have you ever met your birth parents . My initial reaction in every case was, i love my life. I love my parents. I dont need to know anything. I dont want them feeling disrespected. This is a man and a woman who travelled halfway around the world to pick up some random kid in middle of a foreign country. But in everyones life, there comes a time when you need to understand who you are and where you come from. And im gonna start by travelling the country. Yeah, that looks beautiful. Wow. These waterfront this is a nice area, huh . And i see palm tress, and i feel like im on santa monica boulevard. Lying along the eastern mediterranean, lebanon sits at the crossroads of west and middle east. But its a tense region with israel and syria lining its borders. The country is home to more than 6 million people. At its heart, the capital, beirut. My mom, when she was alive, asked me never to come here. And i dont think it was because she didnt want me to learn. I think she always feared for my safety. Before i was born, lebanon was thriving. The county has long been a melting pot of religions, christian, sunni, and shia 18 sects in all. But that mix became explosive the year after i was adopted. Brokaw we have just about run out of words to describe the madness that is beirut. Lemonis lebanons civil war started in april 1975. Religious militias fought on the streets and mountain sides of the country. The strife didnt end until 1990 after a Peace Agreement took effect. On beiruts damascus road, theres a bulletriddled memorial to the war known as the barakat building. Architect Mona El Hallak is fighting to preserve it. El hallak this corner was called in 1976, the door to hell. Damascus road became the green line. The green line is what really divided beirut east and west. Lemonis the barakat building sat on the dividing line between a mainly muslim west beirut and a mainly christian east. Upstairs, snipers were positioned behind sandbags targeting the street below. El hallak and then youre here. And youre looking. And this is where you would have killed someone. You would have been the sniper. And you would have killed anyone who crosses in front of you. And today, this street lemonis and their job was just to stand here. El hallak and kill. Lemonis . And you see somebody, old lady, little child, doesnt matter. El hallak when the order comes the order on the walkietalkie comes, shoot. Lemonis shoot. Through a quirk in the buildings design, the snipers couldnt be seen by anyone outside even when they were shooting. El hallak you could shoot all the way down to the end of damascus road. Lemonis and the people down there, they have no idea where its coming from. El hallak of course. And they try to shoot back. But they shoot back at the other balcony. Lemonis on the balcony, its hard for me to spot those peep holes. But theres no doubt, im in their line of site. El hallak and thats exactly where the bullets came out through here, through here, and out. Yeah. So, anybody who was there was being killed. Lemonis so as a kid, you would el hallak not allowed to be here. This was the green line. This was nomans land. You dont cross. Lemonis the green line was literally that overgrown trees and bushes that had pushed their way through the ground where people feared to walk. For mona, its a vivid memory. She was six years old when the civil war started, el hallak whomever has been through war doesnt wake up in the same way that someone who hasnt been through war because you know you kind of earned your life. During the worst times, the bombing, you run to the toilet to the indoor toilet of any house. And there are times where i spent nights in a toilet like this with 30 people like sardines. And you want to feel crushed by other people. So you dont mind suffocating because really my memory is i wanted human bodies next to me because i dont want to die alone. Lemonis when i hear stories like this, it almost feels disingenuous for me to say that im lebanese because i didnt go through what you went through. El hallak there are people who left during the war forever never came back. The war changed their lives. Lemonis mona hopes that people like me, the ones who had to go away, will return to places like this to get a better understanding of what happened here. El hallak and i genuinely believe that this would be a place not only for the lebanese because i believe that a little girl in syria has hidden the same way i have hidden when i was a little girl. I think war is the same. You go through the same feelings. The amnesia that weve been living for the past 28 years this is the place to shake it. This is the place to question it. Lemonis answers to the questions that brought me to lebanon about my heritage and my birth parents are literally right around the corner. It turns out, my orphanage is just a few blocks away. My gums are irritated. I dont have to worry about that, do i . Harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line. Crest gum detoxify, voted product of the year. It works below the gum line to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. Gum detoxify, from crest. Applebees new loaded chicken fajitas. Now only 10. 99. When you have nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea try new pepto liquicaps for fast relief and ultracoating. Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea get powerful relief with new pepto bismol liquicaps. Mno kidding. Rd. But moving your internet and tv . Thats easy. Easy . easy . Easy. Because now xfinity lets you transfer your Service Online in just about a minute with a few simple steps. Really . Really. That was easy. Yup. Plus, with twohour appointment windows, its all on your schedule. Awesome. Now all you have to do is move. That thing. [ sigh ] introducing an easier way to move with xfinity. Its just another way were working to make your life simple, easy, awesome. Go to xfinity. Com moving to get started. Lemonis theres an arabic proverb that says, the food equals the affection. If thats true, then this woman, georgina al bayeh, must have a lot of friends. [ sizzles ] ive come to kfardlakos, a small village in northern lebanon, to find out how her passion for cooking at home has turned into a business cooking for others. It smells beautiful in here. Al bayeh thank you. Lemonis what are you making . Al bayeh tradition lebanese food. Today, i will make kibbeh bil sanieh. Its very traditional. Lemonis kibbeh is the epitome of lebanese comfort food and a dish i remember making with my mother when i was a boy. Can i work for you today . Al bayeh of course. Lemonis okay. We start by peeling onions, a lot of onions. Do you cook every day . Al bayeh yes. I cook 14 hours per day. Lemonis 14 hours per day . Al bayeh yes. Lemonis what are you cooking . But the question isnt what georginas cooking its for how many. 10 years ago, the mother of three cooked only for her family. Today, she cooks for as many as 60 or more. Shes a visiting chef at tawlet, a unique restaurant in beirut where cooks like her, from all over lebanon, showcase their family recipes and get paid for it. After we peel a few more onions. Im about to cry. Al bayeh this is the last one. Lemonis whoo al bayeh the last one. Lemonis . Its time to slice them, fry them, and brown some pine nuts. Something i used to do for my mom. Georgina, do we need a spoon . Al bayeh yes, yes. Lemonis the spoon. Now thats something that triggers a few memories. You see this . This has al bayeh yes. All the time i for my babies. Lemonis yeah, my mother used to hit me with that. We broke a few spoons on my tush. Georgina and i pour the fried onions into the tray and cover them with pine nuts. After we add the beef and bulgur to the tray, its time to put the kibbeh in the oven. Thats it. Were ready . Al bayeh yes. Okay. Lemonis and with that, i had helped make more than a meal. I had made a connection with georgina. Definitely different than anybody else ive met here because i was in the kitchen. And it reminded me a lot of my childhood where my mother was very adamant about sharing our heritage together. I literally would go through that exact same process of cutting onions and complaining about it. It definitely tied back to my own childhood for sure. I had so much fun cooking with georgina. Im meeting her again for lunch at the restaurant, tawlet. How are you . Shes todays guest chef. Al bayeh im fine. Lemonis okay, im gonna get a plate. Im gonna eat. Put it wherever you want. Im game to try everything except the stuffed intestines. No, ive never had it. Woman oh, youve never had it. Lemonis and it wont happen today, either. [ laughter ] im gonna sit over here. But once the owner, kamahl, comes out, well, ive got no choice. Kamahl bring one in a bowl. Lemonis oh, my god. Please dont make me. Okay. It was not bad. It tastes like a grape leaf on the inside and something very strange on the outside. [ laughter ] turns out, im trying a lot of new things here in beirut. Its a vibrant city. One thats constantly reinventing itself rebounding, defying expectations. And im about to meet someone whos made that her business. How are you . Cynthia hello. Lemonis im marcus. Cynthia hi, im cynthia. Lemonis you have a cool look. Cynthia thank you. I designed it. Lemonis this is Cynthia Chamat debbane, a Fashion Designer who runs her own store, boutique hub, a cool, curated collection of 40 different designers, all lebanese. What is it like to be a woman Business Owner in lebanon today . Cynthia its not a problem. Its just that i get stereotyped as a very tough woman, more manly. Maybe it has to do with the shaved head. I was always intimidating to men. Lemonis i dont find you to be intimidating. Cynthia im not. I dont even want to be intimidating. Lemonis but i find you to be extremely confident. Cynthia am i . Lemonis thats a good thing. Cynthia am i . I hope so. Lemonis yes. Cynthia cool. Yes. Lemonis i can see how smart, strong women like cynthia are the future of this country. And shes bringing all these brands with her. Youre like an incubator. Cynthia yes, i am an incubator. For example, this girl does marbling on leather. She initially came to me to make notebook covers. I said, no. It will not sell. Make it a clutch. You can sell it more expensive. And it has more demand. Lemonis nobody wants a notebook cover. Cynthia no. This brand im super proud of. Lemonis beautiful. Cynthia okay. This bag is made from . Lemonis ill tell you. Its some sort of recycled plastic. Cynthia it is plastic bags. Just as simple as that. Lemonis yeah. Turns out nothing about these bags is simple. Theyre handmade by Syrian Refugees, a small group of entirely female entrepreneurs. Cynthia so these women lemonis they live where . Cynthia in the bekaa valley. Lemonis and now im going to find them. Leaving beirut, things get rural fast. Two hours and a herd of sheep later, im here the bekaa valley. Whats that way . Syria . Boy [ speaking arabic ] lemonis syria . That way. Syria is literally on the other side of the mountain. A country now torn apart by its own civil war. Since it started in 2011, some 1 1 2 million Syrian Refugees have streamed over the border into lebanon increasing the population to 6 million people. Many live in crowded makeshift camps like this one. Ive seen it on tv, but i think to actually be in it is very different than hearing about it. I think what will be stamped on my brain and my memory forever are the kids running around. What happens to them . Whats their future look like . On the outskirts of the camp, the women i came all the way here to meet. 23yearold aalaa alzhouri and her cousins fled syria seven years ago. How did you get here . Female interpreter we were living in a safe country, but the events started happening in syria. And we were really worried about our young kids. Every time a mortar would explode near you or outside your house and your kids are asleep, youre just sitting there incapable of doing anything about it. Lemonis they made it over the border, only to confront a new challenge money. Aalaa solved that problem with a simple idea. She started recycling plastic bags, weaving them into baskets, totes, and handbags. The jellyfish brand was born. Female interpreter we can reduce the number of plastic bags in nature and help the ladies secure an income for themselves. Lemonis how much do you sell this for . Female interpreter this basket is 100,000 lebanese pounds. Lemonis thats 66 u. S. I think they should charge more. If we get people excited about the product cause its beautiful, then you can sell more than you can make. Once you sell more than you can make, like a boat in water, the price goes up. Business advice is easy, but i cant help them with what they want most. What are you most worried about . Female interpreter im afraid we wont get to go back to syria. Lemonis as they deal with an uncertain future, its time for me to face my past. Six months before arriving in lebanon, i got in contact with mustafa kassem, the nbc news producer in beirut. I gave him one of his most unusual assignments yet finding out who gave me up and why. Hes got some news for me. Todays average redblooded american man has less testosterone than his father. And his father has less testosterone thanhisfather. Before we suffer a fullon masculinity crisis, force factor is launching the man up america event. We want to send every man in america a complimentary bottle of the breakout supplement taking gnc by storm. Test x180 ignite, loaded with freetestosteroneboosting manliness. Get your complimentary bottle by texting the keyword on the screen to 202020. During workouts, test x180 ignite raises levels of free testosterone in your body to help build lean muscle. Plus it helps burn fat, fuel desire, and improve performance. Now you can continue to feel like the real men that made this country great. Do yourself a favor. Do america a favor. Text the keyword on the screen to 202020 for your complimentary bottle. Thats a complimentary bottle by texting the keyword on the screen to 202020. Applebees new loaded chicken fajitas. Now only 10. 99. Lemonis the more i get to know lebanon, the more i realize just how much this culture is a part of me. But before i find out about my roots, im gonna visit one more place with deep roots of its own. Im heading east from beirut to the Mountain Vineyards and the village of bhamdoun. I feel like were out in the middle of the country. Jill [ speaking arabic ] lemonis im here to meet jill and naji boutros. Im marcus. Naji hi, marcus, im naji. How are you . Lemonis nice to meet you. Naji nice to meet you. Jill hi. Jill. Lemonis jill, nice to meet you. Jill pleasure to meet you. Welcome. Lemonis and you had a little arabic in there, and then all of a sudden. Jill because this is where we are. Lemonis where we are is chateau bellevue, the winery they built from the ground up, complete with highend restaurant, hotel, and 60 acres of vineyards that produce awardwinning wines. Naji grew up here. Jills from a little further away. Jill i grew up in minnesota. Lemonis come on. Jill yeah, i swear. Lemonis how did you meet . Naji um. Jill we were at college together at notre dame. Lemonis if you ask naji, midwest and middle east is a perfect combination. Were you different before you met her . Naji yes, i was a bit i want to say tougher. Jill softened the corners of naji. Kind of like how merlot softens the corners of cabernet sauvignon, youll taste that with the wine. Jill youre such a poet. I was just gonna say that. Jill honestly. Naji lets walk. Lemonis after grad school, they started their lives and their family abroad, naji as an investment banker at merrill lynch, jill, a school teacher. But for naji, the pull of home was strong. Naji oh, it was so beautiful. I mean, for me, 17 years living overseas, coming back here and planting my grandfathers land. Lemonis it was awesome. Naji it was awesome. Yeah. Lemonis in 1860, najis greatgrandfather built hotel bellevue, the winerys namesake and his childhood home. Naji it was impeccable. It was known to be the most Beautiful Hotel in Mount Lebanon at the time. Lemonis and what else was around . Naji well, it was basically homes like this and vineyards everywhere, everywhere you look up in the mountains. All these hills were vineyards. Lemonis bhamdoun was known throughout the middle east as the place to vacation. Until the civil war. Tourists were replaced by militias. In one battle, some 300 people in this small village were massacred. By 1983, hotel bellevue, and the place he loved, was destroyed. I was only 9, watching it unfold from 6,000 miles away. I used to have dreams when i was a little boy, and i used to always wonder in my mind, would i have to walk around with a gun . What if i wouldnt have been taken out of the orphanage . Was it bombed . Would i be in the military . For me, it was just that a question mark. But for naji, it was reality. Naji i had to carry a gun, you know. Like, myself as the other kids in the village, basically we had to do it to defend the village. Lemonis what kind of gun was it . Naji it was an ak47 or an m16, you know. Lemonis you had to walk around with one . Naji oh, yeah, i mean, we were part of the local christian militia. Jill protecting the village. Naji protecting the village. Lemonis how old were you . Naji you were given no options from. Jill 16, 17. Naji . 17 until 18. So they. Lemonis did you have friends get killed . Naji oh, a lot of friends got killed, yeah. A lot of friends. Lemonis despite the fighting, najis family managed to get him out of the country. Naji marcus, i left lebanon under dire circumstances. It used to take me