Gourmet Mediterranean food GREAT GHOSSAIN’S

Ghossainsbakery.com

BOARDMAN

If it’s possible to fall in love with a salad, I think I left my heart at Ghossain’s Gourmet Mediterranean Foods.

Ghossain’s Cranberry Pecan Salad ($6.99) boasts the best, most ingenious combination of salad tastes and textures I have ever sampled.

What elevates this dish above other similar salads is the generous, crumbly topping of sugary crushed pecans and peanuts. Instead of just an occasional chunk of pecan, every bite crunches with sweet, nutty goodness.

Add to that the jolt of crisp red onions, the fresh burst of romaine, the soft saltiness of feta, the chewy wholesomeness of cranberries, and the tang of a raspberry vinaigrette dressing, and you’ve got just about the most perfect salad on the planet. I will definitely be back for another!

And that’s not the only dish I’m planning to indulge in again.

Ghossain’s classic gyro wrap ($5.99) is simply delicious. Seasoned gyro meat is layered with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and a creamy cucumber sauce. If you’ve been searching for a good gyro, search no more.

The Syrian chicken and onion rice bowl ($6.99) is also rather spectacular. A special blend of spices gives this chicken and rice mixture an earthy, aromatic flavor that’s uniquely sublime.

If you’re not familiar with Ghossain’s, this South Avenue deli, cafe and store has specialized in Lebanese, Italian and Greek foods since 1970. Ghossain’s opened a Niles location in 2003.

“We’re best known for our wraps, salads and rice bowls, and for selling unique ethnic products you can’t find anywhere else,” said Melissa Poland, head chef, manager and public relations director. “What is so wonderful about the Mediterranean diet is that it relies on spices for flavor rather than on sugars or fats. So it’s food that not only tastes good but is good for you as well.”

Ghossain’s is family-owned and operated. In 1954, Joseph Ghossain left Lebanon with his wife and four children and settled in Youngstown. Joseph dreamed of a better life and worked long hours in the restaurant business to save enough money to start his own business.

By 1970, Joseph and his two sons had started a bakery in a neighborhood garage. The $1,000 investment quickly blossomed into a successful business as word spread about the Ghossains’ mouth-watering flatbreads.

Eventually the bakery was distributing its products to grocery stores and restaurant chains across the country, as well as keeping local patrons supplied with some of the best authentic Mediterranean cuisine in the Mahoning Valley.

I visited Ghossain’s during its lunchtime rush and watched as a steady throng of customers walked away with ready-to-go deli favorites such as Orzo Pasta Salad (orzo, cucumbers, red onions and feta in a light lemon vinaigrette); tabouli (a surprising parsley blend featuring bulgur wheat or quinoa, spices, tomatoes and onion); Avocado Cilantro Hummus; and Summer Quinoa (a refreshing salad that consists of quinoa, cranberries, pineapple, green onions and toasted almond slivers).

“Quinoa is actually a superfood,” Poland said. “It’s growing in popularity as people are becoming more aware of its benefits. This isn’t only good-tasting food, it’s healthy food that’s good for you as well.”

Clearly customers appreciate the blend of healthful great taste and ethnic authenticity. If they aren’t purchasing to-go items from the deli, then they’re enjoying a sit-down meal in the small cafe area, or they’re browsing the shelves of Ghossain’s intriguing retail store, which sells everything from grape leaves, to dried cantaloupe slices, to ground cloves.

“If you enjoy Mediterranean cuisine, you will find products in our store you can’t find anywhere else,” Poland said.