The owner of Blackberry Cafe and Blackberry Catering has a nickname, one that’s longer than his forename: should you ever meet Mohammed Abady, feel free to call him “baba ganoush.” Apparently, regulars liked his version of the Middle Eastern standard so much they tagged him with the name. (In Relish’s opinion, they just as easily could have called him “hummus,” but we admit it isn’t nearly as much fun to say.) .
The affable Abady just signed a lease at the former Gourmet To Go space at 7807 Clayton (a stretch of that road currently devoid of restaurants), and will open a restaurant named Choice, hopefully in two month’s time.
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The name reflects the wide range of scratch-cooked menu options available, from Middle Eastern to Greek, and even Mexican. There will also be a choice of organic or non-organic dishes, per the wishes of Abady’s wife and co-owner, Sherry Rouhani, who already provides affordable organic meal options to 3000 local school children via on-site chefs and Blackberry Catering. “We will adopt the same philosophy here,” explains Rouhani. “We don’t make a lot of profit on the organic side…for us it’s more important to just have it available and affordable.”
A chef from New York City is moving here to oversee the kitchen; Choice will be open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
