Loading ...A taste of Lebanon in Mankato
Since 1984, the Massad family has been a staple of Mankato dining. First came Meray’s, a sit-down restaurant that introduced meat-and-potatoes Minnesotans to the schwarma in all its garlicky glory. Then Najwa’s Catering began in 1995 to offer the schwarma and other Mediterranean favorites. That same year, Massad’s opened at the River Hills Mall, offering a fast-food version of the family’s famous food. Finally, in 2007, the Massads opened Olives, an upscale fine dining experience and one of only two independent restaurants featured in the Hilton Garden Inn.
While each eatery is run by a different member of the family, overseeing the entire food empire is Najwa Massad, the family matriarch. Najwa is both a brilliant businesswoman and a wonderfully welcoming hostess, both practical and personal, possessing both a sharp mind and a soft heart. It is this juxtaposition of values that brings her such success, for she knows that creating a warm environment is just as important as creating a delicious meal.
“When you come into [our restaurants], it’s like you’re coming into our house,” she said. “You need that connection with people, that kindness. Some of my best friends were my customers to begin with, and now they’re considered part of our family. That’s the Massad trait—that welcoming. That’s who we are.”
Najwa was born in Lebanon in 1955. In 1960, her family moved to Mankato to be nearer her grandmother, who had immigrated several years earlier. She quickly came to view Mankato as her home, attending school at St. John’s Catholic School and then Good Counsel Academy. However, in 1971, her family returned to Lebanon to visit relative, and Najwa made a decision that would change her life forever.
“I fell in love with [the country],” she explained. “I thought it was absolutely beautiful.”
She didn’t just fall in love with the country, though—she also fell in love with a local named John Massad. Even though she was only 16, she eloped with him and stayed in Lebanon when her family returned to the U.S. three months later.
“The [culture shock] was huge,” she recalled. “I always tell the younger generation, ‘You don’t know how lucky you are to live in this country. You have no clue, not one iota, of how pampered and fortunate you are.’”
Some of the adjustments were inconvenient but not impossible, such as learning to live without hot water and boiling light colored clothes instead of using a washing machine. Other things were harder to bear, especially when Lebanon was plunged into a civil war. Suddenly, the family had to learn how to survive days without electricity or running water, all the while weathering bombings and sniper fire outside their front door. Because the Massads lived on the bottom of their apartment building, their neighbors would often take refuge at their place since it was the safest. Sometimes, a dozen people would hide in the bathroom (considered the safest room) together.
Yet, Najwa said some wonderful things came out of such bleak times.
“During the war, with the bombs and everything going down, yes, we were scared thoughtless,” she said. “In the evenings, we’d all huddle together, but we’d laugh. We were scared, but, when you think about it now, we really had some good times, sitting there, without electricity, laughing and talking. I think we need more of that.”
In 1975, the Massads, along with their daughter Meray, visited Mankato for Najwa’s little brother’s high school graduation. However, since the war was escalating even further in their home country, they were stranded in the U.S. The next three years were a struggle, especially since no one would hire John because he didn’t speak English. Eventually, he found a job at Good Counsel Academy, working in the kitchen. He so impressed the nuns with his cooking skills that he eventually became head of the academy’s kitchen, feeding about 400 boarding students and nuns.
The family (which now included Meray’s little sister, Karla) was finally able to return to their home in Lebanon in 1978. John helped manage his family’s three restaurants while Najwa stayed home with the children. While they tried to regain a sense of normalcy, the war continued, with four months of bombing. John had to dodge sniper fire to get to work some mornings. Najwa finally called the U.S. Embassy for help in returning to Mankato but was told there was nothing that could be done.
Finally, in 1982, the fighting eased up enough that the family was able to find help at the American embassy in Beirut, which put them on a ship heading for Cyprus. From there, they flew to London, then Chicago, then Mankato. As soon as they settled in (finding their first home in an apartment above the Wagon Wheel), they immediately began planning how to open their own restaurant.
“We had restaurants in Lebanon,” Najwa explained. “We have a very good name over there. If you say Massad’s in Lebanon, it’s automatically restaurants—John’s family is generations of restaurants. So it’s second nature to him.”
Still, not everyone was supportive of their plans.
“I remember one guy coming to me and saying, ‘You won’t last six months,’” Najwa recalled. “Oh, my. When you tell a Lebanese woman that they’re not going to make it, it’s like, ‘Okay, buddy, watch us.’”
Source: www.southernminn.com