Sunday News: Black Rock's Syrian baklava ace adds food, wholesale offerings
Plus women in food celebrated with Rebel Girls Cook, and knife-sharpening answers
Five years ago, Buffalo was blessed with its first Syrian baklava artist when Mohammed Altadeh opened Fresh Arabic Sweets.
Every morning, trays of baklava emerge from the ovens, crisp bundles of nuts, sugar, honey, and a touch of sheep’s milk butter. The display case, crowded with eight or more types of baklava, cake, and cookies, is my personal answer to “Oh fudge, what am I bringing to the party in an hour?”
Altadeh’s golden-brown dainties bring the party to a stop. Bewildered, thrilled Buffalonians ask for the address, then reach for another piece.
The address is 560 Amherst St., across the street from the Wegmans plaza. Supermarket baklava, made some time ago in New Jersey, goes for $12.99 a pound.
At Fresh Arabic Sweets, this morning’s assortment is $9.99 per pound, 30 percent less.
Altadeh was a baker in Homs, his hometown, before leaving Syria with his family. Resettled in the United States in 2016, he worked in another bakery before the family was able to open Fresh Arabic Sweets in 2019.
His sons Ghasan and Mohammed run the store, which has grown into a sandwich shop with white tile floors. Savory pastries called borek and koftalike kabobs have joined the chicken shawarma sandwich ($5.99), an outstanding value. As a plate (pictured), with a drink, it’s $11.99.
Falafel sandwiches ($4.99) and ones centered on beef or lamb kofta kabobs ($6.99) round out the current sandwich lineup. Borek ($1.99/$3.99) are flaky pastry filled with seasoned lamb, beef, or cheese, in rings and sticks. The food menu should expand further in coming months, Ghasan Altadeh said.
Also new is the Altadehs’ interest in building a wholesale business. They’re starting small to avoid throwing the whole operation out of whack. The family hopes to interest coffee houses, restaurants, groceries, or other food businesses in adding baklava to their menu. Weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and other celebrations might also bring them business.
Their initial step is offering $1 a pound off purchases of eight pounds or more, across their bakery menu. That’s $8.99 a pound for ladyfingers, triangles, squares, bite-sized rolls called kol weshkor, (“eat and thanks” in Arabic), shredded phyllo-wrapped pistachios called mabrouma, plus nut cake, and mamoul cookies stuffed with date, walnut, or pistachio.
Triangle baklava
Square baklava
Kol weshkor, “eat and thanks”
Ladyfinger
There’s also mamoul, cookies stuffed with date, walnut or pistachio. Same price per pound, but I don’t have a per-piece estimate.
You can stop in and talk to the Altadehs about your baklava-related needs. Or reach them at fresharabicsweetsbuffalony1@gmail.com with questions.
Fresh Arabic Sweets, 560 Amherst St., 716-768-3826
Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.
REVIEW: As a rule, I don't spend my money in chain restaurants. But pleasing my children is more important. They get whatever their heart desires. Which is how I ended up at Little Lamb, the Chinese hotpot place on Sheridan Drive, stirring all sorts of things into a bubbling vat of Sichuan broth, and thinking: This is a hoot. Then, a solemn moment: my first senior discount. (Later today, for patrons.)
EVENT: The crew behind the women-celebrating Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls has gotten into the kitchen with Rebel Girls Cook. On Oct. 26, Read It & Eat Culinary Bookshop presents two ways to get more Rebel Girls in your life, featuring a powerhouse lineup of Buffalo-area women in food.
At 10:30 a.m., in Alice, Ever After Books, 295 Parkside Ave., Rebel Girls Cook’s lead recipe developer, Afton Cyrus, will lead a conversation with Alexa Joan Wajed of Eat Off Art, Rebeca Fong-Reynolds of Ernie's Pop Shop, and Kelly Audette and Mo Torpey, co-owners of Fairy Cakes Cupcakery and Bakeshop. The event is free.
A ticketed workshop follows where kids can tackle the “Yogurt Parfait, Your Way Cooking Challenge” from the cookbook. Tickets ($45/$65 for two siblings) include a copy of Rebel Girls Cook, and are available here.
At 6:30 p.m., in Statler Cafe, Martin House, 122 Summit Ave., three women who’ve cut their own path in the food world will be talking about what they’ve learned, with the expert facilitation of Buffalo Spree Food Editor Christa Glennie.
Bridget Murphy (partner, Extra Extra Pizza), Valentina Garcia Montaño (executive chef, Saturn Club, owner Che Garcia Chimichurri), and Emily Savage (owner, Savage Wheat Project), and Afton Cyrus (food editor) will speak.
Tickets are $35, and can be purchased here. They include dishes from “Rebel Girls Cook,” made by An Extra Scoop, Christine Belus’ meal delivery kitchen.
To wit: avocado toast, open-faced grilled cheese sticks of Anastasia’s country loaf and tomato soup, lettuce cups of Buffalo chicken salad and chickpea “tuna salad,” kofte kebabs with tzatziki and flatbread, Korean corn cheese dip with chips, and cookies.
Plus, sweets from Kate Knowles’ Manchester Place Baking Company.
THE READERS ANSWER:
Jamie Travale is another food writer covering the Buffalo area and more. Check out her work at Open Till Four.
She hipped me to one pre-Thanksgiving knife-sharpening solution for people who won’t do it themselves: Nobile Saw & Supply, 2705 Elmwood Ave., Kenmore, 716-875-9636, on the Internet as wesharpeneverything.com.
The URL is right on: this is an industrial sharpening house that will accept household cutlery. Take a look at the price list and you’ll see what I mean. (Carbide router bits, $4.50 and up.) Knife sharpening is $3.75 small, large $4.75 and up, and if you want it fast (within 24 hours) you may pay a $5 rush fee. If you need a lawn mower blade sharpened ($10.50) you can knock another to-do off your list.
Rebecca Bernstein reminded me that Premier Gourmet, 3904 Maple Road, Amherst, will sharpen knives. A call confirmed the details: Up to 6 inches, $3, after that $4 and up. No serrated knives or scissors. Same-day service possible but not guaranteed. If it’s busy you’ll have to return the next day for your newly dangerous cutlery.
The amount of static I got from friends who cook, huffing that of course they sharpen their own knives, made me wonder if “How to sharpen knives” might make a worthwhile article. If you vote yea, give me a sign at andrew@fourbites.net.
More reading from Michael Chelus:
Mr. Galarneau wrote about Chef Stephen Pusateri's new restaurant in Lewiston - Bistro Avera [Four Bites]
On 10/26, Christa will moderate a panel of dynamic women in food - Rebel Women in Food [Buffalo Spree]
Elena Kopty - founder of @BonAppetitBuffalo on Instagram - is now hosting a book club [Buffalo Spree]
You can now get ice cream in Five Points at the newly opened second location of Rosie's Handcrafted Ice Cream [Buffalo News]
Andrea wrote about the newly opened location of Alibaba Kebab [Step Out Buffalo]
Wayland Brewing Company will open an après-ski taproom above West Rose in Ellicottville [Step Out Buffalo]
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