Toronto Star, Canada
Jan 19 2004
The Arab Quarter
Tour a strip of Lawrence Ave. E. in Scarborough and discover `a mecca
of Middle Eastern delights’
HABEEB SALLOUM
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
The aroma flowing out from the freshly baked fatyir bi za’tar is
mouthwatering as my daughter and I sit down to have our breakfast at
Arz Fine Foods on Lawrence Ave. E. on a strip called “the Arab
Quarter” by Toronto residents who originate from the Middle East.
There’s no question about what our breakfast will be – these tasty
thyme pies, along with the famous Middle Eastern breakfast dish
called ful (cooked fava beans). As we eat, I wonder why the Arab
immigrants have transformed a few blocks of Lawrence in Scarborough
into Arab town.
I put this question to Jack Boyadjian, vice-president of Arz Bakery &
Fine Foods, who sits down to chat with us. He relates the story of
how his family opened a bakery on the Arab strip 16 years ago. It has
done so well, they moved into a larger space.
“When we were looking for a spot in Toronto to open a Middle Eastern
business, we found that the two Arab grocery businesses on the strip,
the Green Valley, now long gone, and Nasr Foods, were prospering,”
recalls Boyadjian, a Lebanese of Armenian origin. “We had also found
that a large Middle Eastern community lived in the area, so we moved
in.”
Labelled by its fans as “a mecca of Middle Eastern delights,” Arz is
a popular shopping centre that keeps expanding. Like many other Arab
Middle Eastern shops on the strip, some 60 per cent of the customers
are of Mediterranean background, while the balance are other
Canadians.
Besides Arz, at least 40 outlets on Lawrence between Victoria Park
Ave. and Warden Ave. cater mainly to Middle Eastern clientele. More
than 30 are food establishments, including Middle Eastern grocery
stores, cafés and restaurants. (Some 95 per cent are concentrated
from just before Pharmacy Ave. to just past Warden Ave.)
The strip’s businesspeople refer to it by various names – including
Toronto’s Arab Section, Scarborough Arab Section and Lawrence Ave.
Arab Stores. The most popular is the Arab Section, or Mantaqat
al-Arabiya. Shoppers tend to identify it by the major grocery stores:
Arz or Nasr Foods.
Nasr is the pioneer Arab business on the strip. It is owned by the
Palestinian Nasr family. Nasr’s early success, beginning in 1975,
drew other businesses to the area. They opened shops next to each
other, forming the largest Arab Quarter in Ontario – the Chinatown or
Little India of Toronto’s Arabs.
Sated from our fine Middle Eastern breakfast, we decide to stroll the
strip, window-shopping for Arab food utensils and artisan products.
We find that only Arz and Nasr carry a good supply of these products.
However, in searching for these goods, we make a thorough exploration
for future purchases of these and Arab food items.
Feeling hungry again, we walk to Nasib’s Shawarma and Falafel, noted
for its shawarma and falafel sandwiches.
We order falafel sandwiches and, true to what we had heard, the
sandwich is huge and the falafel patties are light, crispy and tasty.
The owner, Emad Bahloul, of Palestinian origin, says his food has
become so popular with Canadians that his customers are now equally
split between Middle Eastern and others.
“I use a secret ingredient in my falafel,” he says. “This is what
draws my customers.”
With the succulent taste of the falafel in our mouths, we shop for
Arab foods for a party we’re hosting the next day. From the Babil
Middle East Market, owned by Abu Riyad, an Iraqi, we purchase Iraqi
date syrup and dates. From the Lebanese Bakery, we collect cheese and
meat pies, as well as kubbah (meat and bulgur patties).
Walking back on the north side of Lawrence, we stop at the Lotus
Catering & Fine Foods, a busy establishment owned by an Egyptian
family. The always jolly Mabrouka Saleh, the owner’s mother,
explains: “We are very busy because not only do we serve
Arab-Canadians, but all other Canadians as well. Also, our tasty
dishes bring us repeat customers. Just try these!” The hospitable
Saleh offers us tidbits of some of her fascinating speciality
Egyptian appetizers.
Next door, we stop at Basse Golden Nuts, owned by a Syrian, to
purchase roasted and candied nuts, as well as dried fruits.
Struggling with our bags, now somewhat heavy, we walk to Samara to
buy freshly ground Arab coffee, before walking to Hassan & Bros. Meat
Market to buy a leg of lamb, which we intend to barbecue for our
party. As is usual when buying meat in all Arab stores, the Lebanese
owner cuts the leg in perfect chunks for the barbecue.
(Other meat markets on the strip include Ghadir Meat Market, Ibrahim
Hallal Meat, El Rida Hallal Meat, Alzahraa Halal Meat and Liban Food
Market.)
When passing Challal Pastries earlier, we neglected to buy Arab
pastries, so we walk for a few minutes more, then cross Pharmacy Ave.
to Patisserie Royale. Here, we purchase baklava, the king of Arab
sweets, before returning home to deposit our purchases and rest.
Revived, we decide to dine at the Ameer Family Restaurant at the
eastern tip of the strip.
In the midst of cozy decor and served by friendly staff, we enjoy
grilled fish and juicy, tender boneless marinated chicken with garlic
sauce. When we compliment Hassan Sbeity, the Lebanese owner, he
smiles. “Everyone loves our garlic sauce which we usually serve with
our grilled chicken.”
Happy after our fine meal, we cross the street and walk to the Oasis
Restaurant. Here, as customers in the next room puff on their
arghilles (water pipes), we sip on Arab coffee and talk to Lebanese
owner Hussein Ayoub.
“I opened on this strip because of the concentration of Arabs in this
area, but today, only 50 per cent of my customers are Arabs,” Ayoub
says.
The Oasis is an enjoyable climax to our day of exploring the Arab
Quarter. Well-known to the vast majority of people of Middle Eastern
origin who live in the eastern part of Toronto, the strip is a
well-established Middle Eastern shopping destination.
No matter what differences people from that part of the world might
have, there is no preference where they shop. The best prices draw
the customers. The potpourri of businesspeople from the Middle
Eastern, Mediterranean and the Asian regions generally works together
advising and buying from each other.
However, for the Arabs who form the core of this burgeoning area, it
is a neighbourhood reflecting the Arab world. The strip is like an
Arab mall created mostly by immigrants who became successful
entrepreneurs while catering to the taste of fellow immigrants and at
the same time introducing their foods to other Canadians.
The future looks bright for the strip.
The Wexford Heights Business Improvement group, an association of
businesspeople and a municipal councillor representing the area, has
great plans for the Arab Quarter in the coming years. Wexford began
its activities in early July with a three-day street festival, which
included rides, music, folkloric dancing and much more. It will
become an annual event.
According to Anthony Kiriakou, president of Wexford Business, which
has a representative of Nasr Foods as one of its members, hopes more
of the businesses will get involved. The association aims to inject
the area with a community spirit, which would include Arab and
non-Arab Canadians.
The group has plans to make the strip more attractive – as inviting
as the Greek strip along Danforth.
In Kiriakou’s words: “We are open for business.”
Garlic Sauce (Thoum)
This Ameer Family Restaurant recipe is served cold with all kinds of
grilled meats. Although Canadian raw eggs are generally considered
safe, dietitians don’t recommend them for the very young or old, or
those with compromised immune systems. As an alternative, pasteurized
eggs are sold in refrigerated cartons in supermarkets.
Peeled cloves from 1 head garlic
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
In blender, purée garlic, egg and salt 2 minutes. Slowly drizzle in
oil; blend 1 minute. Add lemon juice. Blend 5 minutes or until sauce
reaches whipped cream texture.
Serve cold.
Makes about 1-1/2 cups.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress