Pita Bakery
5931 Merrill Road
In 1958, Joseph Assi left Beirut, Lebanon for the United States. Settling in Jacksonville, Assi established a sundry store and then a bakery, but became best known for operating the Gold Room restaurant. There he introduced a cold-cut Arabic club sandwich packed in a pita during the early 1960s, which is often credited as the invention of Jacksonville’s famed local dish: the camel rider.
Today, the rider is Jacksonville’s culinary answer to the Philly cheesesteak, Chicago’s deep dish pizza and Baltimore’s crab cakes. A quick, flavorful lunchtime dish for working people, a traditional rider consists of ham, salami, bologna and sandwich fixings stuffed into a pita, and often comes with a side of tabbouleh and a cherry limeade. With over 50 local restaurants serving riders, one may wonder where a significant amount of fresh pita bread is being produced.
The legacy of sandwich pioneer Joseph Assi survives in a nondescript storefront in Arlington. Behind these walls, Assi’s nephew Melad Assi has operated the Pita Bakery since 1978. Delivering to 110 accounts each day, the Pita Bakery has become a hidden staple in the local economy itself.
The Sheik Sandwiches and Subs
2708 North Main Street (Original location)
Best known for their Steak in a Sacks, Camel Riders and Cherry Limeade drinks, the Sheik Sandwiches and Subs is one of Jacksonville’s largest Arab American sandwich chains. The Sheik is so popular that it was covered in a New York Times article about its menu being synonymous with the city’s dining scene. Operated by brothers Samir “Sam” and Munir “Mike Senior” Salameh, along with their wives Suad “Sue” and Basima, the Sheik’s first restaurant opened in 1972 at the intersection of 18th and Main in New Springfield. Today, there are eight locations operating throughout Northeast Florida.
Sleiman Enterprises
1 Sleiman Parkway
The story of Sleiman Enterprises dates back to 1950 when Lebanese couple Eli and Josephine Sleiman arrived in Jacksonville with little cash to their names. Saving and borrowing money, the couple opened the Lynwood Grocery Store on Pearl Street in Brentwood. In 1955, the couple began acquiring investment properties. Eli eventually began developing 7-Eleven locations throughout the Southeast. By 1970, the Sleimans were in ownership of office buildings, retail centers, apartments and a Ramada Inn at Jacksonville Beach. Now operated by sons Tony, Joe and Eli Jr., Sleiman Enterprises develops full grocery-anchored retail centers throughout the Southeast, and currently owns more than 90 properties totaling over five million square feet in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia.
Editor’s Note: Hala’s Mideast Eatery and Market was originally founded by Zohair Mardini in 1975.
Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com