American dreams on a street corner in St. Bernard
You walk into a restaurant and have no idea what the story is behind it. You eat the food and pay the check and seldom wonder who taught the chef how to cook or why the restaurant exists at all. In the case of Five Stars Mediterranean, in St. Bernard, it's because of an ongoing conflict thousands of miles away, a son's memory of his mother's cooking and the restaurant's ability to serve as a coping mechanism for trying times.
I am oblivious to all of this as I bite into my shish tawook – the chicken, marinated in tomato sauce, yogurt and spices – is so juicy it makes the home cook in me jealous. It's mixed with pickles and organic tomatoes, slathered in garlic sauce and rolled into a pita wrapped in foil. Starving, I prematurely remove the foil as I make my way toward the end. All of the ingredients fall out from the bottom. Slow down, I tell myself. Enjoy this.
Ahmed Jheir and his wife, Miasan, are owners of Five-Stars Mediterranean, in St. Bernard. Keith Pandolfi/The Enquirer
Later, I'm joined by Five Stars owner Ahmed Jheir. He points to a photograph of his homeland, the ancient city of Tyre, hanging on the wall. So much of Tyre is gone now, he tells me. Lost in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. He lost his father to that conflict in October. He's lost cousins and other family members, too.
His wife, Miasan, and their two children, Hassam and Reima, came to join Jheir last October. They wanted their children to be educated in Lebanon so they could know and love the culture. But it's too dangerous there now. Jheir is an American citizen. His wife and children are, too. They weep for Lebanon, but it's better here right now.
He loves St. Bernard. He opened Five Stars just before COVID and said he received overwhelming support. "From the Lebanese community?" I ask him. "No," he says. "From the Americans."
He's developed a loyal following since then. Some of his customers come from other counties and other cities. He's also made a name for himself as a caterer, providing everything from Middle Eastern cuisine to French cuisine.
He misses his mother's cooking. He talks to her every day to make sure she's OK. She taught him almost everything he knows about cooking. Everything else, he learned from his cousin in Columbus, who hired Jheir after he moved to Ohio in 2017. Before that, he worked as a Civil Engineer in Dubai, Ghana and Congo.
The kibbeh at Five Stars Mediterranean, in St. Bernard.
I take a bite of the kibbeh, served on a bed of lettuce and garnished with lemon. Kibbeh was my gateway into Lebanese cuisine when I first tried it at a New Orleans restaurant decades ago. I only recently learned that it's the national dish of both Lebanon and Syria. There are many variations, but most remind me of Cincinnati chili and cider doughnuts. "Why does it remind me of cider doughnuts?" I ask Jheir. He's not familiar with cider doughnuts, but he guesses it's the pomegranate molasses.
Before I leave, I ask Jheir if I can get a photograph of him and Miasan. She is shy and asks for several takes before she is pleased with the results. The three of us look at the photo that passes muster. It shows a young couple making it in America. A young couple both heartbroken and hopeful.
Outside the restaurant, it's pouring. I watch as about 50 school kids seek shelter beneath the awning of a Dairy Queen across the street. I dash past them toward my car. But before I get in, I look back to take a mental picture for myself, because what I'm seeing is something extraordinary. The little Lebanese restaurant on one corner, the DQ on the other. It feels reassuring. It feels American.
Slow down, I tell myself again. Enjoy this.
4501 Vine St., St. Bernard, 513-538-5003, facebook.com/fivestarmediterranean. Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Five Stars Mediterranean is an American dream in St. Bernard
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