Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Edy Massih. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Edy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

When Covid hit and get togethers were no longer happening, I shifted gears with my catering business and focused on making to-go meals for people to pre-order and pick up. I planned the menus myself so I really leaned into my Lebanese background and the flavors and dishes I grew up eating in Lebanon. However, there were no Middle Eastern grocery stores in North Brooklyn. For all my spices and ingredients, I had to travel over to Kalustyan’s and Sahadi’s. It dawned on me that a place with access to Middle Eastern ingredients and products was really missing in my area. The perfect opportunity presented itself when the owner of the Polish deli on my corner approached me about taking over the space and adding my Lebanese twist.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a chef, a caterer, and the owner of Edy’s Grocer, North Brooklyn’s very first Lebanese market and deli in the heart of the historic Greenpoint neighborhood, providing a wide range of imported groceries from all over the Middle East, featured homemade mezze dips, and more. Open for 4 years, the Grocer has become a neighborhood staple and gathering place, serving great food and hosting various pop-ups, cookbook clubs, and dinner parties.

I was born in Anfeh, Lebanon, and moved to Boston at the age of ten. I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and started my catering business, which soon became known for my signature Brown Paper Boards, beautiful grazing board-like spreads of mezze, vegetables, crackers, pita, and more, perfect for entertaining

My debut cookbook Keep it Zesty came out this May, bringing the flavors of Edy’s Grocer and my Lebanese upbringing to your dining room table.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

For me, building my social media audience has been all about community and authenticity. From the beginning, I used my social media account to ask people in the community what suggestions they had for the design of the Grocer, the products they wanted to see on the shelves, and the dishes they wanted to see on the menu. I knew I was really serving the community when I incorporated those opinions and suggestions.

And in return, the community has really come together to lift me up time after time. With the tragic, deadly explosion in Beirut In August 2020, the Greenpoint community and my social community as a whole really expressed their support, and helped me to open the Grocer up with such power and success.

My advice would be to keep engaging with your community, always find ways to give back, and focus on staying relevant and fresh with collaborations and pop ups.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

When we opened the Grocer, people wanted to support us and purchase products from us who were not local, so we decided to launch e-commerce through our Squarespace website. It has been super successful! We’ve been able to reach an audience outside of New York with our spices and Middle Eastern staples that people aren’t able to find as easily in smaller cities or towns throughout the country.

And since my cookbook came out this May, it’s been a perfect way to sell personalized copies straight from the Grocer to anyone, anywhere in the country!

Contact Info:

• Website: edymassih.com and edysgrocer.com
• Instagram: @edymassih and @edysgrocer
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Edys-Grocer-100054631531377/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@edysgrocer7449
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/edy-s-grocer-brooklyn

Image Credits

Jessica Marx