Hop into Spring at Phoenicia with special seasonal offerings! Choose from large Dark Chocolate Eggs imported from Italy, imported Easter egg dyes, Panettone, festive chocolates and candies, Rose’ wines from around the globe to prime cuts of lamb and roasts for traditional Easter season cooking. Our catering department is also up to the task in providing for your holiday and family gatherings. Give us a call at 832.360.2222 or email [email protected] for more info on premium catering.
Celebrate Earth Day! Join us in showing love for our city’s green spaces by helping us donate to Houston’s Give 5% campaign. Shop at either of our market locations or dine with us at MKT BAR or Arpi’s Phoenicia Deli on Saturday, April 26th to contribute to the cause. We’ll be donating 5% of our gross revenue that day to our favorite Houston-area conservancies who are collaborating to make the Houston area a better place.
Celebrate Earth Day! Join us in showing love for our city’s green spaces by helping us donate to Houston’s Give 5% campaign. Shop at either of our market locations or dine with us at MKT BAR or Arpi’s Phoenicia Deli on Saturday, April 20th to contribute to the cause. We’ll be donating 5% of our gross revenue that day to our favorite Houston-area conservancies who are collaborating to make the Houston area a better place.
Lovers in Italy and around the world exchange chocolate-covered hazelnut Baci Perugina “kisses” for Valentine’s Day. The chocolate-hazelnut combination is rooted in the history of chocolate production in Italy, and is full of tall tales and intriguing characters. No character is bigger in that story than Gianduia (pronounced zhan-DO-yuh). We know it as the irresistible, creamy smooth, spreadable combination of chocolate and hazelnuts (think Nutella). But in the mid-1800s, Italians knew Gianduia as a marionette of the Commedia dell’Arte theater.
Signifying good humor, honesty, and the pleasures of food and drink, Gianduia the puppet was a source of huge civic pride as a peasant of the Piedmont region, specifically the town of Turin in Northern Italy. In February 1865, at a time of much political upheaval, local citizens banded together and made their favorite character, Gianduia, the King of Carnival. In the excess and indulgence of these pre-Lent celebrations, the first chocolate and hazelnut confection — the gianduiotti, appeared.
Named after the patron of Turin’s Carnival, gianduiotti (zhee-an-DWO-tee) are plump, finger-sized soft confections of chocolate, hazelnut paste, and sugar, wrapped individually. Gianduia (the chocolate-hazelnut spread) and gianduiotti (the individual candies) were revolutionary for their smooth texture, given that chocolate manufactured at the time produced a gritty product. In fact, the chocolate bar as we know it had not yet been invented, and there was no such thing as a milk chocolate bar.
Today, choices of chocolate-hazelnut combinations abound, whether it is traditional Pernigotti Gianduiotti, in Italian sweet bread Balocco Panettone, or in the love-note-filled “kisses,” the Baci Perugina. The well-known modern version of gianduia, Nutella, came about more than 75 years after its invention as a luxury sweet on the streets of Turin. But unlike the original, the one we love today comes in milk chocolate.
Find all of these delectable chocolate-hazelnut combinations freshly stocked at Phoenicia. And for a legendary combo you’ll really love, pair these treats with a bottle of wine from Phoenicia’s extensive selection.
When our Wholesale Operations Manager arrived in the U.S. 12 years ago from Turkey, she was discouraged by the not-so-fresh food selection she found in her new country. Upon eating some heavenly cucumbers at a friend’s house, she asked where they had been purchased. The friend promptly transported her to Phoenicia and at once, Esin was no longer in a pickle over food!
She became a regular customer, enjoying familiar foods as tasty as those back home. Like other staff members, her Phoenicia shopping “addiction” evolved into employment. And now, ten years later, Esin oversees the daily transactions of Phoenicia’s wholesale accounts, assists customers ranging from small and large grocery stores to restaurants by filling orders and managing the shipping and receiving of goods, and grades and selects international products. She’s looking forward to another ten years.
“I feel like a member of the family,” she says. There’s a mutual respect; everyone is very appreciative of one another. I like the rush that comes from being here, working with friendly faces. I really look forward to coming to work every day.”
Phoenicia’s 1,000+ wholesale customers benefit from Esin’s motivation, dedication and firsthand knowledge. She has personally tried nearly 70% of the store’s products, saying she tries to avoid saying “I don’t know.”
“I want to help,” she says. “What better way to do that than to offer my personal recommendations?”
And what does Esin specifically suggest? She states everything at Phoenicia is YUMMY!, but praises anything from the bakery. By opening the store every day, she enjoys freshly-made goodies right out of the oven. Try the simit–a delicious, round, crusty sesame bread. It’s what’s for breakfast.
In her spare time, Esin enjoys cooking, travel and outdoor sports.
Construction of Phoenicia Specialty Foods Downtown has been progressing fabulously and our newest YUMMY location is scheduled to open in late October 2011. We’re putting the finishing touches on the interior construction now, and throughout September, we’ll be fine-tuning the market and stocking the shelves with Phoenicia’s quality international products.
Located across from Discovery Green in the One Park Place luxury high-rise (1001 Austin Street), Phoenicia will satisfy our downtown neighbors with 26,000 square feet of foodie delights. In addition to offering more than 10,000+ products from more than 50 countries, we will offer delicious prepared meals, a sandwich station, salad bar and a bakery with desserts and breads prepared daily by European and Mediterranean chefs. The newest Phoenicia will also feature the MKT BAR, an in-house coffee, wine and beer bar that will surely be a downtown gathering spot.
Phoenicia Downtown is a unique destination for downtown Houstonians, foodies and visitors alike. We look forward to welcoming you to our new home.
YUMMY! Holiday Decorating Class Reservation Form
Kids YUMMY! Food Classes Reservation Form
Kids YUMMY! Summer Cooking Classes Reservation Form
