If you haven’t been to Sababa in Washington, DC, we highly suggest that you do! This restaurant gives the perfect introduction to Israeli cuisine. Israeli food can be considered a meeting point between Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. Sababa recently hosted a special dinner with SOOM foods, a Philly-based producer of tahini among other Israeli ingredients. We were able to chat with one of its founders, Amy Zitelman on how travel inspires their products.
What inspired you to start your business, SOOM foods?
We joke – Shelby (our oldest sister) had a business degree, Jackie was dating (and is married to) a sesame tahini expert, and I needed a job. But really, being introduced to good tahini in Israel and learning about the health benefits and versatility of the product inspired us to make it a more common ingredient in the American market.
How did you partner with Ashok Bajaj and Sababa for your dinner?
We believe an essential part of the business is creating quality relationships. We connected with Brett Carnahan when he was general manager at another restaurant, and when he started at Sababa he had the idea to make a formal dinner together!
You’re an avid traveler and have lived in Israel. Does travel influence your business and products? How?
Travel absolutely influences our business and products. Two ways:
1. Travel = learning. We love learning (especially about food!), and we love sharing what we learn with our network.
2. Food is the forefront of travel. I start with where I want to eat breakfast lunch dinner, have coffee, tea and snacks and build my itinerary from there!
Soom Foods supplies to very well-regarded restaurants. How do you and your team build those relationships?
The old fashioned way! We hit the streets, pop into as many restaurants as possible with samples of our products, and take the time to talk to anyone and everyone there – hosts, waiters, bartenders, and of course the chefs! Then, we follow through with our company/team attributes: reliability, consistency, effective communication, and a love of community.
You’re currently based in Philly. What three restaurants can you recommend?
Three?! Not possible! This is so hard! I’m cheating and making one a restaurant group: CookNSolo. Their restaurants include Zahav, Dizengoff, Goldie, The Rooster, Federal Donuts, Abe Fisher. Other favorites are Spice Finch, Cheu Noodle Bar, Hungry Pigeon, Dante & Luigi’s, Taco Riendo, Hikari Sushi, and LALO.
Thanks, Amy for all your tips! I think we have a full foodie itinerary for our next trip to Philadelphia!
