Back in Business

~ Emad Salamy has brought Phoenicia back after a three-year hiatus.

There is an old saying: the third time's a charm, but what about the second time?

Emad Salamy, owner and operator of Phoenicia: The House of Shish kabobs, is a man to ask. After taking a three-year hiatus from the restaurant business, he is back and ready to sell.

"We were here for 13 years, and we really liked it. The whole family moved away to get close to family, and I came back to try to sell the property after we had leased it for a few years," Salamy said. The Salamys moved to Ontario, Canada where Salamy says more than 100 families from his hometown in Lebanon have immigrated to, including close relatives. "We wanted our children to be around family more," he said.

Salamy said that even though he wants to sell the restaurant after some negative leasing experiences, he thought he might as well reopen while he was here.

Originally from Marjayoun, Lebanon, Salamy came to the United States where he learned to cook and gained knowledge about the restaurant business. "I never did any cooking at home. On your own you don't have parents, family and all that so you learn to do it on your own," he said.

A tray of baklava sat waiting to be ordered Thursday at Phoenicia

Salamy lived in West Virginia and learned the ropes of running a restaurant by working at a friend's place. He said he also started cooking for friends, which eventually evolved into owning his own restaurant in West Virginia. In August 1992, after moving to Cape Girardeau, he and his wife Mimi opened Phoenicia: The House of Shish kabobs at 1000 N. Sprigg St.

"The first few years were really hard. Later when people started getting to know the food by taste of the sampler, they started to taste all the food. That's when they started to know about food of the Middle East," Salamy said.

He said the restaurant became popular and its success was because of the food and the atmosphere. "If you have healthy, good food people are going to want to come back. Not for the decorations or how the place looks. Phoenicia has a good atmosphere ... a nice homey type of restaurant. Not like a franchise," he said.

A limited menu full of specialty items brought him success in the past, Salamy said. "You have to have a specialty."

Salamy said that he also encourages people to learn to cook the food they enjoy. He's authored a cookbook called "A Taste from the Land of the Cedars." It is locally available at the restaurant.

For a taste of the land of the cedars, Phoenicia is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and reopens for dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. On Fridays Phoenicia opens for lunch and dinner staying open until 9 p.m. and Saturdays is only open for dinner.