Middle Eastern bakery opens in Tri-Cities + A celebration for new food truck plaza
A new bakery is bringing the flavors of the Middle East and Mediterranean to the Tri-Cities.
Al-Hayyawi Adnan Hussein has dreamed of opening a bakery in the Tri-Cities to share the flavors of his native Iraq and the Mediterranean.
This month he made that dream a reality. He said that while the Tri-Cities has a lot of bakeries, none specialize in the recipes he grew up with, so he decided to share them himself.
The bakery is a labor of love for his family. Hussein started with a blank slate in a space in the Rainier Plaza shopping center in Kennewick, and did most of the work himself.
That love is also poured into the food he makes.
“We try to make it with love,” he said. “Because we believe in the Middle East that if you do something like food, you have to make it with love.”
Hussein hopes Tri-Citians will swing by and try something new, or maybe even a little taste of home for fellow immigrants.
Diners can find a variety of sweet and savory baked goods, in addition to staples such as Pita and Samoon, which is similar to pita, but is a traditional Iraqi take on the bread with live culture yogurt used to leaven.
He recommends trying the Lahm bi Ajeen, which is a type of meat pie sometimes referred to as Middle Eastern Pizza. The name actually translates to “meat in dough.” It’s made with a blend of vegetables and ground meat.
Other items are Manakish, a kind of flatbread, topped with either cheese or a Za’tar herbs and oil mix. While it’s not on the menu, they do make more traditional mini pizzas with it as well.
They’ve also got sweet treats, such as Baklava and Kunafa, which is a sweet spun pastry soaked in flavorful syrup. And of course Klecha, the national cookie of Iraq. The Klecha comes in a variety of styles, but often is a flaky pastry filled with dates, perfect with morning coffee or a quick snack.
Somer Bakery is at 5601 W Clearwater Ave #111, next to Green Papaya Thai Restaurant. Hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Food Truck Hub
Summer’s Hub of Kennewick is set to celebrate its grand opening this weekend. Events at the new food truck plaza kick off at noon Friday with a ribbon cutting and then live music on Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m.
The 7,000 square-foot indoor dining hall is anchored by Brady’s Brats and Burgers.
They have space to grow, with room for up to 28 food trucks and indoor family-style picnic tables for dining and a stage for entertainment, with garage doors that can be rolled open in the summer.
The Hub has launched with six food trucks open daily — Bobablastic, Churros Mia, Delicious Crepes and Waffles, El Punto Del Sabor, Gray’s Wings and Things and Trejos Tacos.
They’re at 6481 W. Skagit Ave. All of the food trucks are open at least five days per week. For a full schedule each week, visit the Hub’s facebook page.
They’re between Chuck E. Cheese and Sportsman’s Warehouse at the east end of the Colonade Shopping Center on Canal Drive in Kennewick.
Ste. Michelle
Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates has acquired another Pacific Northwest winery.
The company announced it has bought A to Z Wineworks and the Rex Hill brand. They’re in Newburg, just outside of Portland, Ore., and make Chateau St. Michelle the largest wine producer in Oregon.
Already the largest winemaker in the Pacific Northwest, Chateau Ste. Michelle has deep Tri-Cities ties with half a dozen brands in and around the Tri-Cities area.
Their connections are so strong that the company recently announced it was selling their flagship Woodinville property and relocating operations to the east side of the state to consolidate operations and realize cost savings.
The company cited high production and transportation costs in its signature Reisling brand, as the grapes are grown in the Mid-Columbia region, but were processed in Woodinville.
Their largest Tri-Cities area operation is in Paterson where the Ste. Michelle brand red wines are produced at the Canoe Ridge Estate winemaking facility and Columbia Crest.
They also operate Col Solare at Red Mountain and 14 Hands Winery in Prosser. In the Walla Walla are they have Intrinsic Wine Co., Spring Valley Vineyard and Northstar Winery. In Oregon, Ste. Michelle also operates Erath Winery. They also own Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Napa Valley and Patz & Hall in Sonoma, Calif.
They have not yet announced which site will serve as their new base of operations.
Jewelry Store
A new jewelry store is coming to the Columbia Center mall just in time for the holidays.
Lovisa is in the process of renovating a space in the mall near the Icing fashion jewelry store. Lovisa specializes in fashion jewelry at accessible price points, according to the mall’s website.
No opening date has been announced.
