Phoenicia Specialty Foods brings a world of flavor to Houston
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- With clients from all over Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Mediterranean and even Latin communities, Phoenicia Specialty Foods has made their mark with an offering of foods from all over the world, keeping their customers coming back for more!
Phoenicia Specialty Foods is a family-owned business.
"My parents started in 1983 - a small mom and pop shop back on the west side of town on Westheimer and it grew from there," recalls Haig Tcholakian, one of the owners of Phoenicia Specialty Foods.
Tcholakian's parents started their business with beef, chicken and lamb shawarma, and it's still a crowd-pleaser today.
"It's slow-cooked on a rotisserie spit that rotates around, kind of like a gyro, but it's marinated for a couple of days, and it's basically stacked meat on top of each other," explains Tcholakian.
Another draw is their Armenian string cheese.
"It's like mozzarella. It's kind of braided like a woman's hair would be, but you unbraid it, chop it up, and marinate it in olive oil and spices, and it's addictive," adds Tcholakian
Phoenicia is also known for their pita.
"We produce tens of thousands of loaves a day," says Tcholakian
They're also famous for their muhammara.
"I think we're one of the only ones in Houston that has it. It's red pepper paste, with pomegranate molasses. It looks like it would be very hot, but it's actually smoky and tangy," he adds.
Some of their most popular items include Kinder Chocolates.
"Outside of the US, this is the most famous chocolate that Europeans and other nations eat and crave," he adds.
They also sell jams from all over the world.
"This is Noyan apricot jam from Armenia. It's my favorite jam. It's amazing," says Tcholakian.
And they offer a huge array of olive oils at affordable prices.
"We have this Cosadoro, which is from Italy. It's our name brand," he adds.
There are even wines at great price points that match the food they import.
Plus, they've got the perfect twist on a Thanksgiving apple pie, which should be a total crowd-pleaser.
"It's apple baklava. It has apples, apricots and walnuts inside. It's what we call Mediterranean apple pie," says Tcholakian.
Phoenicia offers catering, as well.
Phoenicia has two locations.
DOWNTOWN:
1001 Austin Street
Houston, TX 77010
WEST SIDE:
12141 Westheimer Rd
Houston, TX 77077
