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mokenamessenger.com life & Arts
the Mokena Messenger | June 7, 2018 | 27
The Dish
Middle Eastern catering takes center stage at Grapevine
Bill Jones, Managing Editor
It is a Saturday afternoon
in the middle of Ramadan,
and despite already being
two weeks into a schedule
that has seen her starting at 7
a.m. and working till roughly
8 p.m. every day, which she
will continue to do through
June 16, Grapevine Foods
owner Laila Maali seems
relaxed. She has a smile on
her face.
A family enters the business
June 2, and they exchange
a familiar greeting
in Arabic. Another couple
walks through the doors, and
they exchange pleasantries
in English.
Maali seems almost too
at ease for someone who
has nine full, stuffed lambs
roasting in her ovens in the
back, along with a jampacked
grill constantly turning
out steak, chicken and
kifta kabobs; trays upon
trays of salads lining the
cooler to complement the
meats; and still some customers
just coming in for
fatayer (pies) filled with the
likes of chicken, vegetables
and cheese.
But she has done this before.
She has been doing it
for 14 years, to be exact. And
her family and staff provide
an incredible support system
behind the counter, in the
kitchen and at the front of
the grocery store.
“I’m blessed with hardworking
people,” she said.
Maali, who made a home
with her family just down
143rd Street in large part
to raise her five children in
a town with good schools,
opened Grapevine at 14402
John Humphrey Drive in Orland
Park in 2004 with just
one oven and no clear idea
of what it might become.
“Everyone said, ‘Your
Owner Laila Maali sits inside Grapevine Foods in Orland Park during the middle of
Ramadan, which has seen the kitchen operating at capacity for catering.
Photos by Bill Jones/22nd Century Media
Pictured is a 16-inch tabouleh salad tray ($29.99) that is among the catering offerings at
Grapevine.
food is so good; you should
open a place,’” Maali recalled.
“I didn’t know what
to expect. … We started with
a few coolers, and people
loved the food.”
The space offers items
like hummus ($3.99), tabouleh
salad ($3.99) and warak
dawali (stuffed grape leaves,
$5.99) in smaller portions,
along with a “small” shish
Grapevine Foods
14402 John Humphrey Drive in Orland Park
Regular Hours
• 9 a.m.-7 p.m.. Monday-Saturday
• 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday
For more information …
Web: grapevineorlandpark.com
Phone: (708) 403-7100
kabob plate ($12.99) that
easily serves two with a
combination of grilled steak,
kifta (seasoned ground beef)
and chicken, with grilled tomato,
onion and green pepper,
served on a bed of rice.
And the pies ($1.85 each)
remain a favorite of those
looking to grab something
quickly and hit the road.
But Grapevine has since
expanded its kitchen twice
and outgrown classifications
like Middle Eastern bakery
or grocery store. Catering
has become the biggest part
of the business, as evidenced
by how much of the store
space has been overtaken by
aluminum pans, trays and
lids. Customers are more
likely to order a tabouleh
salad on the 16-inch tray
($29.99), and even at $299
or $349 a pop with rice or
grape leaves, respectively,
the whole stuffed lamb —
with bread, Jerusalem salad,
cucumber yogurt salad,
hummus and a large tray of
rice mixed with ground beef
and almonds — sales are
limited only by oven capacity
at Grapevine.
Still, Maali said little has
truly changed.
“It just got busier,” she
said. “It took a few years
… but now, thank God, it’s
great.”
In fact, Maali said this
year has been the busiest
Ramadan she ever has experienced.
She and her staff
start preparing the food
while many Muslims fast
from sunrise to sundown, so
that it is ready for area families
when they are ready to
feast at night. She estimates
Grapevine has been feeding
500-600 people daily
with the amount of food it is
selling. And the only reason
that number is not higher is
the kitchen is operating at
capacity, and she has had to
turn away orders.
Maali said she enjoys the
rush for Ramadan. While the
fasting associated with the
holy month gets the most
attention, Ramadan also is
about feeding others. So,
Maali feels like her business
plays an important role in the
holy month. And despite being
in the business for more
than a decade, she does not
seem to be tiring of the food
service industry.
“It’s something to get you
out of the house,” she said.
Grapevine is getting customers
out of their houses,
too. The popularity of Mediterranean
diets have helped,
without a doubt, and Maali
said vegans have found
something to like in the
grilled vegetable kabobs and
hummus. But many customers
are likely returning for
simpler reasons.
“We make them fresh daily,”
Maali said of the items
on her menu. “We use the
best ingredients. That’s what
keeps people coming: the
quality.”
Maali said she plans to
close for a week following
Ramadan to give her employees
a paid break for their
hard work, but she looks forward
to serving Orland Park
again when the spot reopens.