By Tim Krohn
MANKATO — John Massad is back where he belongs.
Organizing the chaos of an active kitchen, working behind the grill, talking to the stream of customers who poke their heads in to say hello.
Najwa Massad admits she was initially opposed to the idea of the family opening the restaurant — Olives by Massad’s — in the new Hilton Garden Inn.
“He’s my husband. I was worried about him working so hard all day and night.”
But just a few weeks after opening, she knows that being back in the full-service restaurant business is just where the family was destined to be.
“When John’s back there behind the grill and you look at him from the side, he just has this big grin on his face. He’s happy.”
Daughter Meray Rahme says it’s in his blood. “He’s an artist at this. He creates great food and puts his own twist on it. He’s like a kid in a candy store right now.”
Olives, serving a Mediterranean-influenced menu, has been a busy place since opening earlier this month.
“It’s been beyond expectations,” Najwa said. “Mankato has embraced us. It’s been like a welcome back party.”
A restaurant history
The Massads’ culinary history in Mankato didn’t start far away — just two blocks down Hickory street from the Hilton.
They operated the successful Meray’s Restaurant (now McGoff’s) from 1984 to 1997.
They also run Massad’s in the River Hills food court. And Najwa has, since 1995, operated Najwa’s Catering out of the Alltel Center.
Najwa was born in Lebanon and moved to Mankato with her family in 1960 when she was a youngster.
She met John, whose family owned restaurants in Lebanon, when she was 15, during a family trip to Lebanon. They were married a year later and stayed in Lebanon.
They came to Mankato for a visit in 1975 with a young daughter, named Meray, and were unable to return to Lebanon for three years because of civil war there. They returned to Lebanon but fled as war broke out in 1982 and came to Mankato for good.
They opened Meray’s in an addition built on to the Heco Building, with the family living upstairs. John offered Mankato a new food — schawarma — a chicken-based version of a traditional lamb sandwich in Lebanon.
Construction of the civic center in 1994 hurt business and the opening of the center reduced available parking. Having just opened Massad’s in the mall and starting the catering business, the Massads decided to close Meray’s.
A family affair
When local developer Curt Fisher took over the long-planned and delayed Hilton project he turned to the Massads to open a restaurant.
John said the location and the elegant atmosphere made it an easy choice.
“People say they have to go to the Cities for a good restaurant. With 45 years as a master chef, I try to give Mankato a nice restaurant,” John said.
“We’re not against (other restaurants). We want everyone to succeed,” he said.
Getting Olives up and running is a family affair. Meray, who is an interior designer for Paulsen Architects, designed the restaurant (as well as much of the hotel’s interior) and helps at the restaurant over the lunch hour, evenings and weekends.
The Massad’s other daughter, Karla Njoku, is an accountant who lives in the Twin Cities but is spending most of her time at the new restaurant running day-to-day operations . (“Karla, we call her the CEO,” says John.)
Karla, a graduate of St. Thomas, was living overseas until recently — her husband was working there for Medtronic. She helped the family put together a business plan for the restaurant.
Meray (after whom the Massad’s first restaurant was named) said she aimed for classical colors, dark wood and a Mediterranean flair. The signature features are the large, silk light fixtures that mimic the canopies seen outdoors in the Mediterranean.
The windows of the restaurant open to Riverfront Drive.
The kitchen, on the far end of the restaurant, is open to public view, something John insisted on.
“I don’t want any closed doors. We want people to see us work. We keep everything clean and we’re professional. I like people to come back and talk to me.”
The name for the restaurant came from the tradition of all Mediterranean meals starting with olives and bread. Adding “by Massad’s” to the Olives name capitalizes on the family’s reputation for food in the area.
‘I love everything’
Barb Sanders of Mankato is an enthusiastic fan of Olives.
“I love everything about it,” Sanders said. “The food is a wonderful addition to Mankato cuisine. The ambiance and colors — everything is inviting and warm.”
She’s been to the restaurant several times and has a mission of sorts. “My goal is to work my way through the entire menu.”
She, and her late husband, Dr. J Scott Sanders, were frequent guests at Meray’s and she said she admires the Massads’ work ethic and talent.
“When you think of what they’ve been through and the hard work they do — they are the true American success story,” she said. “They love what they’re doing and the girls talk about how they missed the (Meray’s) restaurant. They grew up there.”
Like a reunion
The opening weeks have been a flurry of long days and nights for the family. Being located in a hotel means the restaurant is open long hours — from about 6:30 a.m. to after 10 p.m., serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and room-service orders.
“We get home at midnight, crawl into bed and get up at 4 a.m.,” Najwa said.
Karla said the fatigue fades when customers start coming in. “Seeing all the people again, that’s what we all missed the most.”
They will change the menu during the year. “We’ll have our staple items and then incorporate new things in seasonally,” Karla said.
They also plan to offer themed nights, wine tastings and other events to keep things fresh, Najwa said.
And, she said, John’s skills in the kitchen mean there are often subtle changes to the same dish from night to night.
“He ‘cleans out the refrigerator’ as he says,” according to Najwa. “He’ll make things a little different. He couldn’t make it exactly the same again because he doesn’t measure. He just knows what’s right.”
Najwa said having many customers from the old Meray’s come in has been the most rewarding. And, she said, the Massads love to welcome old and new friends alike.
“When people come in they say they feel warm and like family. That’s who we are. When people come to your house you welcome them and make them feel at home.”
John clearly feels at home. Taking a short break from the kitchen, sitting at a table with his wife and daughters in Olives, he looks around and grins.
“I got what I want,” he says.
