Specialty Food Magazine

Edy Massih is on a mission to introduce consumers to the healthful and tasty cuisine of his homeland, Lebanon. The 27-year-old opened Edy's Grocer in North Brooklyn in August 2020 after working at Danny Meyer's North End Grill and operating his own catering business. He says, "It's been a journey but my objective has always been to cook the foods of Lebanon." Massih was born in a fishing village in northern Lebanon. His grandmothers always fed family and friends. "Meals were a time to relax and enjoy others," he recalls. That changed when he moved to Massachusetts at the age of 10. His love of food never changed. He attended the Culinary Institute of America, then moved to New York City to work as a chef. Massih did not like it. "I could not express my voice working in a restaurant kitchen," he says. Massih started a catering business in 2017. He invested $500 per month on Google and Yelp advertising and landed corporate catering jobs, including photo shoots with Uniqlo and Victoria Secret. Then COVID hit. "I prepared food in Brooklyn and offered a quarantine menu," Massih says. "I would place meals outside my door; people would pick them up and Venmo me." His success led to a New York Post article, which attracted the attention of the health department. His home catering business was shut down. The next step: Edy's Grocer, an 800-square-foot Lebanese and Middle Eastern grocery store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The market opened on August 15, 2020, the anniversary of his grandmother's death. The store features 24 fresh mezze, shelf- stable products, baked goods, and prepared food. It also serves as the base for Massih's continuing catering business. Massih's advice: "Never stop doing what you love. It's okay to have detours but always come back to your passion."—R.T. PHOTO: KELLY MARSHALL PHOTO: UMAMICART Edy Massih CHEF AND FOUNDER, EDY'S GROCER FALL 2022 19 Four years at Goldman Sachs. An MBA from MIT Sloan. That's untraditional training for a person whose desire is to bring umami to the masses. "Asian food is part of my identity," says Andrea Xu, 30, founder of Umamicart, an online retailer of 2,000 Asian and Asian- American products. Xu grew up in Spain, where her immigrant parents owned a Chinese restaurant. She ventured to New York City to attend New York University. "I was attracted to New York because of its diversity, a place where I could celebrate my culture," adds Xu. Yet it was a challenge even there to find traditional Asian foods. She landed at Goldman Sachs after graduation. The hours were long and the work was challenging but Xu is grateful for the diligence and critical thinking that she learned. She followed that with studies in entrepreneurship and innovation at MIT Sloan. Yet Xu could not stop thinking about food. "Asian Americans cannot find the food they grew up with, even in major cities. I love going to Chinatown and H Mart but that takes a lot of time and effort." Umamicart is her answer. Launched in March 2021 with 400 carefully sourced products, the online retailer solved a problem for thousands of Asian Americans. The product assortment includes traditional Asian products, specialty foods, organic and hard- to-find vegetables, and items from Asian institutions such as Mott 46 Street Bakery. Umamicart sells its full inventory in 13 New England and Middle Atlantic states and shelf-stable products nationally from its distribution center. The goal is to become national. Xu's advice: "Find a problem that you are passionate about and develop a solution." —R.T. Andrea Xu FOUNDER, UMAMICART George Hajjar is associate, content development at the Specialty Food Association. Ron Tanner is president of the Tanner Food Group.

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