Noemi came to Houston four years ago after living in Waller Texas, a very small town, northwest of Houston. She moved here to be closer to her aunts whom were living here and she hoped a bigger city might provide more opportunities for her 8-year old son. As she began looking for places to work, she came to Phoenicia excited about interacting with different people and cultures; it was hard at first because the food and customs were new to her but after being at Phoenicia over a year, it felt like home. While moving to a large city can be overwhelming, working at Phoenicia provides the comforts that she had living in a small town; regular customers, a warm-homey atmosphere and people who really care about each other. It took a while to reach that comfort level, the customers and their customs were very different from what she was used to but she found it was easier when she identified things that made them the same. Noemi smiles when she thinks about how similar cultures and food are; the pita often reminds her of tortillas from her home country and we laughed as we talked about how many of our wonderful breads, tortillas and pitas are used in lieu a fork and knife!

Noemi is a wonderful ambassador for customers who aren’t familiar with Mediterranean food; her first suggestion to a timid palate is our delicious hummus with fresh pita bread or flat breads with cheese- you can’t go wrong! Noemi always encourages people to try food, she tells them, “When you try it you like it!” You will often find her sampling her favorites like Baklava, Turkish delight, pita bread and the famous Zorab’s Italian Spices with olive oil and yummy fresh bread to very appreciative customers! With so many YUMMY choices at Phoenicia she asks herself daily, “What am I going to eat?” The answer is often Chicken Shawarma and with her favorite bakery a scrumptious fresh fruit tart.

As a manager at Phoenicia she enjoys teaching and managing people to be their best and she flourishes under the responsibility that it brings, she is eager to learn new things and her passion for Phoenicia is always evident, it even spills over to her young son…next to visiting the zoo, her son who would rather come visit Phoenicia than do anything! He visits often and you can be sure he is a good boy with a bright future!

Noemi is very impressed with the wedding cakes that they make in the bakery, she was always afraid of taking big special orders but now it is second nature to her. She attributes much of her confidence to working with Don, he is a great baker and a very kind, understanding teacher, with his gentle guidance she is learning so much and simply having him there makes things easier. While she struggled keeping things neat and organized, as they remodeled the bakery, the outcome was well worth it…the ice cream cakes that Phoenicia now offers in the bakery area are delicious and strawberry cake is her favorite!

Your travels may take you around the globe, but when you are at Phoenicia you are a part of our family and you can bet that Noemi is working hard to make sure Phoenicia is your home away from home!