STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Founded on their mother’s Middle Eastern-inspired recipes, members of the Deib family -- Palestinians who immigrated to the United States from the West Bank -- have built their restaurant model around home-cooked meals they grew up eating for lunch and dinner.
“My mother (Jehad Deib) was a great cook. And we use all her recipes in our restaurants. All of our recipes are made from scratch,” said Malek Deib, of Taheni Mediterranean Grill, which is the newest addition to the Staten Island Mall’s Food District in New Springville.
Malek Deib, who runs Taheni Mediterranean Grill with other family members, said he’s proud that everything served at the location is homemade.
“My mother and I do a lot of the prep work behind the scenes,” he said, noting that in addition to his mother and father, Deib Deib, his eight siblings are involved in the business.
The family-owned restaurant, which now has four locations in the Tristate area, is located between Chik-fil-A and Taco Bell in the Mall’s Food District. Deib noted that staff at all four locations call his mother “Mama.”
”We also have our own butchery. We clean up all our own meats, and we pre-portion them. Our pita bread is also made onsite,” Deib said. (Courtesy of Malek Deib)
The family’s first location opened in Brooklyn in 2017. And while the family had to temporarily shutter a Manhattan location due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, this is the second location to open amid the national health crisis.
The Deib family’s first location opened in Brooklyn in 2017. (Courtesy of Malek Deib)
SPECIALITIES
Deib said he’s proud that everything served at Taheni Mediterranean Grill is homemade.
“The biggest thing customers really love from us is the falafel, which is our own family recipe. And our dips are very popular,” he said.
One special dish at the restaurant is a plate of Deib’s zaatar fries.(Courtesy of Malek Deib)
”We also have our own butchery. We clean up all our own meats, and we pre-portion them. Our pita bread is also made onsite,” Deib added.
One special dish at the restaurant is a plate of Deib’s zaatar fries.
“We were the first to introduce this unique item to the Mediterranean cuisine. The oregano used to create the zaatar spice blend is grown and harvested by us every year. The olive oil mixed in the blend is imported from our family farm in the West Bank. We are planning to package that olive oil and sell it to our customers in the near future. We pride ourselves on the authenticity of our flavors and ingredients,” explained Deib.
In addition to Malek and his parents, other Deib family members involved in the restaurant are Lutfi, Hidaya, Anas, Hamza, Ahmad, Aya, Omar and Ibrahim.