As the Jordanian owner of a downtown Traverse City restaurant named
Zakey Middle Eastern Cuisine, one might expect Nabiel Musleh to struggle with misconceptions--but he doesn't see it that way.
"I had little problems. I had an open mind and people saw that," says Musleh.
After driving the road to success, which included three college degrees and a 30-year corporate career, Musleh took an unforeseen detour. One day, his son Adam asked Musleh, "Dad, your food is so good, why don't you open a restaurant?"
"That was my driving force," Musleh says.
The PlaceIt is 2 p.m. on a Monday, the dead zone for most restaurants. The El Dorado Café, Jesse & James Restaurant and an ice-cream parlor have all failed here. Yet inside Zakey (Arabic for "delicious"), most of the seats are full.
The place exudes warmth. The walls are mustard and turquoise--colors denoting prosperity--and overhead, a tent cradles the middle booths. Muted Arabic tunes drift in the background.
From the rear, earthy scents waft from the kitchen. Fattoush--cucumbers and tomatoes chopped, tossed with lemon juice, olive oil and fresh mint; shawarma--meat soaked in garlic, lemon and spices, then seared; and pita--flat bread whose mealtime acceptance spans the world.
Musleh is at the grill. He is the owner-manager-cook-and-bottle-washer. Musleh flips the last order and takes a seat in the corner.
The Journey"In my wildest dreams I never thought I would own a restaurant here," says Musleh. "If my parents were alive, they would be so proud--or so shocked."
Growing up in Jordan with eight brothers and three sisters, Musleh was influenced by American TV.
"We watched Nightrider, Kojack, Perry Mason," Musleh says. "I really wanted to go to America, because it is freedom. You can be whomever you want. So after high school, I left to come here to study."
His preparation was relentless. For 30 years, Musleh learned all aspects of restaurant operation, working at Applebee's, Chi-Chi's, Ginopolis on the Grill, Minerva's, Red Lobster, Taco Bell and T.G.I. Friday's.
While working, he attended college, earning an Associate's Degree in Business from Mott Community College, a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Master's Degree in International Relations from Eastern Michigan University.
"Now, I don't have to answer to nobody but God," Musleh says. "Am I happy? Yes, but there's nobody to share it with."
Sadly, his son Adam--the inspiration for his restaurant--moved away with his stepfather.
The ValuesInfluenced by two cultures, Musleh juggles both, grasping what works and dropping what doesn't.
Musleh has an immigrant's passion for food. Yet, he had to abandon the Jordanian model of--as he put it--"Do what you're told"--while working with a diverse staff. He also discovered that the Old World mantra of "Never lie" carries little weight in the corporate politics of the New World.
The same goes for "American values." As a child, Musleh grew up believing, "The money is in America, if you work hard, you can become rich." However, conspicuous consumption is at odds with his austere upbringing. He scoffs at our cultural obsession with appearance and dependence on loans.
"I make do with what I have and pay as I go," Musleh says.
As proof of this philosophy, Musleh still uses equipment from his first restaurant, opened in August 2008 at Three Mile and Hammond Roads. He chose the site because it already had a kitchen--never mind that it was called The Chicken Coop and hunkered behind a BP gas station.
Musleh credits the Islamic holiday of Ramadan with preparing him for life.
"During Ramadan, we have nothing to eat or drink from sunup to sundown," says Musleh. "It teaches discipline, it teaches thankfulness, it teaches us to endure.'"
The FutureScoring a space on the most coveted block in a resort town would seem to be the ticket to prosperity, yet Musleh found otherwise.
"For years, customers told me, 'You have to move your restaurant downtown.' Well, I never see those people now," says Musleh.
Whatever east side customers he lost have been more than offset by the summer visitors he gained, especially during the Traverse City Film Festival.
"I learned people want to eat after 8 or 9 p.m., so we are increasing our hours in the spring," Musleh says. "And people have asked me to open a hookah bar. Some may see hookah as dark, but it's just smoking flavored tobacco, getting together to play cards and drinking coffee."
For now, Musleh is content sizzling lamb on the grill, mingling with customers and teaching culinary arts at Northwestern Michigan College.
"My hope is for Zakey to give a fresh perspective of Middle Eastern cuisine to Traverse City," says Musleh. "This is my family now--my staff, my guests--because that is how it is perceived in my culture."
Tom Tracey has written for magazines (Arizona Business Gazette, Baja Life), newspapers (Gannett Publications, Traverse City Record-Eagle) and websites (Examiner/Reuters, MSN Small Business) nationwide.