Given that 17% to 20% of restaurants close within their first year, nearly 30% close within three years, and about 50% shut down within five years, it’s nothing short of remarkable that Ali Sabbah’s Mazza Cafe celebrated its 26th anniversary on March 6th. It certainly hasn’t been easy sledding.
Long before Ali Sabbah was a two-time James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef – back in the winter of 2000 – I wrote a review of Mazza. Back then, the cafe served Middle Eastern fare on paper and Styrofoam plates with plastic utensils in the small space that was formerly home to Smoky’s Records, and then to a bakery in the eclectic 15th & 15th neighborhood. It’s now a cozy, beautifully decorated eatery with white tablecloths, a full wine list, and, as always, award-winning Middle Eastern cuisine.
As (bad) luck would have it, 9/11 happened shortly after Ali launched Mazza. It was a time when Middle Easterners were quickly stereotyped as villains by many Americans. Nonetheless, loyal customers supported Mazza through that challenging time. “It was very moving,” Ali said to me about the love he felt from his regular customers and neighbors.
Ali would go on to open two more Mazza locations: a second Mazza restaurant at 9th & 9th, and, in October of 2019, he launched a third Mazza in Sandy. Then the COVID pandemic hit. Adding insult to injury, Sabbah also had to deal with the financial fallout of a restaurant fire, and was forced to downsize back to his original Mazza location at 15th and 15th in SLC.
Last year, buried by high-interest loans and struggling to recover from the toll the pandemic took on his restaurant’s business, Ali and his supporters launched a GoFundMe campaign to help keep Mazza afloat. Referring to the havoc the pandemic and some SBA loans caused him, Ali said, “We started with three restaurants and 350 seats and exited the pandemic with one small location with under 28 seats. We come to you knowing that we are not alone in our struggles, but we have truly run out of options.”
If this seems like nothing but a story of gloom and doom, the good news is that the GoFundMe campaign was very successful, raising a little under $200,000. Responding with gratitude, Ali said to his friends and supporters, “You have given us a breather and allowed us to achieve two of our three goals: pay off some high interest loans and give our staff a small raise.”
Not only has Mazza survived, but Ali Sabban is looking toward the future with enthusiasm and energy. After 26 years, Mazza isn’t a shiny new toy anymore. “We want to remind people that we’re still here,” Ali said to me last month.
Sabbah refuses to compromise when it comes to utilizing the best ingredients in his restaurant. For example, “I don’t use anything in the kitchen other than non-GMO, organic extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, both for my cooking and for finishing dishes. And if people want that quality, it costs money,” said Ali. “I get beautiful grass-fed halal beef and lamb from New Zealand and Australia that you just can’t find here. That costs me seven dollars a pound [wholesale]. Rising food costs are taking a huge chunk out of our profits.”
Still, Ali is looking toward a new era for Mazza, including expanding the menu with some enticing new dishes. Yes, the classics like falafel, muhammara, kebabs, shawarma, lamb & rice dolaa, baked kafta, and many more magnificent Levantine delights from Mazza will continue to please guests. But Ali is also excited about menu additions such as a very rich-tasting new vegan entree of Pumpkin Kibbeh made with pumpkin meat and stuffed with walnuts, spinach, and garbanzos with pomegranate molasses. He’s also bringing back a dish he used to run as a special: A North African-style chicken and olive dish with preserved lemon and stone fruits, served over rice and finished with citrus fruits. It is a bright-tasting dish with lots of Mediterranean flavor.
“We’re also adding a seafood dish that I served at the 25th Anniversary Gala,” Ali said, “It’s all line-caught fish and shrimp with a tahini-based sauce that has crab in it, finished with fresh herbs. The guests at our gala really loved this dish.” He added, “I want us to have a really big, strong, solid menu that we can do fresh and well every day and have guests immerse themselves in a culinary experience that is a little deeper than what we’ve done in the past.”
When asked about the James Beard Awards, and knowing that Michelin inspectors now have Utah restaurants on their radar, Ali said, “I decided a long time ago to just focus on what I’m doing in the kitchen, with the best service we can provide, and beyond that, if awards come, and I was fortunate to be a James Beard Awards finalist twice, then I am grateful. I do think that Michelin coming is a good thing in the sense that it will shine a light on what’s happening in Utah. And I hope to God that we get at least a couple of people in Utah that win some kind of recognition.”
Having said that, Ali isn’t scouting Michelin inspectors because, “The time you spend focusing on one person because they might be a Michelin inspector, is time taken away from other tables. And there’s a lot of luck involved in who gets selected and inspected for awards, so I just don’t worry about it. Provide the best food and the best service to every table and every guest and if awards come, so be it.”
Feature Image of Ali Sabbah, owner of Mazza, by John Taylor.
