To commemorate the opening of Sassool Mediterranean Cafe’s new grocery and retail section at their Cary location, owner Mounir Saleh invited nine Triangle food bloggers to participate in a “Grocery Challenge.” The decision was tough and after much deliberation, Kate Kelly of Life of a Ginger was deemed the winner! Her recipe for Pomegranate Chicken with Halloumi Cheese, Tomatoes, and Peppers will be featured during the month of January 2018 at both Sassool Cary and Raleigh locations!
THE CHALLENGE: Food bloggers were given a $25 Sassool gift certificate in order to create a recipe using at least three grocery or retail items. The grand prize? A chance to have the recipe featured during the month of January 2018 at both of Sassool’s locations.
Specialty groceries at the Cary location include yogurt and cheeses, a variety of olives, frozen foods, olive oil, tahini, beans, pasta, coffee, tea, cookies, and candies. The store also receives bulk shipments of dried fruits, assorted nuts and seeds, and spices that they package and sell by the pound in the grocery and retail section.
Nine Triangle food bloggers were up for the “Grocery Challenge” and went shopping for at least three ingredients. A listing of their names, blogs, and recipes with links are below:
- Kathleen Loescher of Life of the Lushers, Pearled Couscous with Roasted Garlic, Roasted Red Peppers, Olives & Marinated Feta
- Paten and Quinn Carlton of the Soul-Full Sisters, Butterbean Hummus + Mint & Basil Pesto
- Kate Kelly of Life of a Ginger, Pomegranate Chicken with Halloumi Cheese, Tomatoes, and Peppers
- Mallory Middleton of The Cheers Years, Mediterranean Sweet Potato Toast
- Gillian McLane of Cold Beer and Meat Sweats, Brie Stuffed Lamb, Beet, and Hemp Seed Meatball Pita Pockets
- Tessa Nguyen of Taste Nutrition Consulting, Mom’s Date and Labneh Dip with Smoked Paprika Pita Chips
- Layla Khoury-Hanold of the Glass of Rose, Za’atar-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
- Alexis Raynor of Triangle Foodies, Shrimp Couscous Salad
- Cecilia Moreno of Food Diary of a City Girl, Rosemary-Thyme Flank Steak with Puck Cream Smothered Onions and Baby Bella Mushrooms
Mounir Saleh and the Sassool team created all nine recipes in order to determine a winner. Life of the Ginger is the lucky Triangle food blogger who will be featured during the month of January 2018. Mounir states, “Everyone did such a great job and I’m so thankful for the bloggers’ participation in this challenge. Each blogger applied such creativity with the grocery ingredients.”
Sassool only altered the proportions of ingredients in Life of a Ginger’s recipe in order to make the dish suitable for the hot case. Patrons of Sassool are encouraged to ask for complimentary pita if they wish to make this dish a pita pocket.
About Sassool Cary’s New Grocery and Retail Section
The new Sassool grocery and retail section opened to the public on Monday, November 27, 2017. This new section of Sassool has replaced the former Neighborhood Bottle Shop space in the Shoppes of Kildaire and adds 2,000 square feet to the restaurant. Sassool Cary is located at 1347 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary, NC 27511.
