DULUTH — When interviewing Lyla Abukhodair, it's hard to know where to start. On the one hand, she's marking a musical milestone as her band, Baharat, prepares to open for Trampled By Turtles and Houndmouth at Bayfront Festival Park on Saturday, having won Trampled's third-annual Palomino Grant. The group is also releasing a series of recordings that are the most ambitious in Abukhodair's already well-established musical career.
On the other hand, Abukhodair and her family just opened a Palestinian deli that has become Duluth's biggest food story of the year. Taking the former home of New London Cafe as the brick-and-mortar location for a wildly successful pop-up, Falastin became the buzz of social media and is the first of its kind in the city's history. "The balance is support," said Abukhodair, talking with the News Tribune last week while taking a break from preparing ingredients at the deli.
"Our team at Falastin is remarkable. They work so hard; they care about the vision; they care about everything (my family and I) care about. They care about the quality; they care about learning about Arabic food; finding the best processes to bring that into a commercial kitchen.
" Since Abukhodair launched Falastin as a pop-up with a small team including her husband, Samuel Miller, and her parents, Ann and Bassam Abukhodair, the business has added a handful of employees who are helping to share the load of the deli's dedicated storefront at 4721 E. Superior St. Nor is Lyla Abukhod.
