New Lebanese bakery sweetens historic neighborhood
By: Aaron Montes
Source: El Paso Inc.
A new bakery and café in the historic Five Points neighborhood has breathed life into a nearly century-old building and is adding to the newfound interest in the neighborhood.
On April 29, El Pasoan Maggie Asfahani and her crew of 15 employees unveiled Salt and Honey Bakery and Café. The long anticipated project has generated a lot of buzz in the neighborhood, and Asfahani’s staff served a non-stop flow of customers. It is located in the 96-year-old Stevens Building at 801 N. Piedras.
“It’s an area that feels very underserved,” Asfahani told El Paso Inc. “It’s very authentic to the core and spirit of what El Paso is.”
A single mother with two kids, Asfahani left her day job as the editor of What’s Up to pursue her childhood dream. In November 2015, Asfahani left the publication, which is affiliated with El Paso Inc. And after a year and a half of hard work, she said she feels confident her investment will serve the Central El Paso neighborhood.
New businesses like Salt and Honey are adding new vibrancy to some of El Paso’s oldest neighborhoods, which had faded over the decades as growth moved to the fringes of the city. Salt and Honey is only the latest business to open in the Five Points area and follows the success of Joe Vinny and Bronson’s Bohemian Café, better known as JVB, which is located across the street.
For some time, Asfahani had eyed the building in Five Points as a potential site for her business. She decided to take on the project when a friend, Mostafa Rifai, the owner of Block Table and Tap among other businesses, bought the property and convinced her to pursue opening the bakery and café.
“You have this dream and passion for something and you hope people respond to it,” Asfahani said. “So far, they have and I am grateful.”
Her dream was built with blood, sweat and tears, Asfahani said. For months, the project was stymied by the city permit application process and construction woes. In the nearly century old building, new plumbing was required to service the restaurant.
“There were a lot of tears, but I just wanted it,” she said. “I’d cry, brush myself off, then tomorrow’s another day.”
Asfahani, 45, is a first generation Lebanese-American who was born in California. Her family came to the United States, fleeing civil war and conflict in the Middle East, she said.
When she was 3 years old, her family moved to El Paso. When Asfahani was 10, she would cut out recipes from magazines and make scrapbooks out of them.
As she got older, she said, she taught herself how to bake. She said she would bake cakes after her mother cleaned the kitchen and would hide the cake in the cabinets if it didn’t come out right.
Her family owned a restaurant in Lebanon before coming to the United States. Asfahani said she wanted to go to culinary school but did not because her parents wanted her to aspire to other careers.
“Cooking has always been in our blood,” she said. “It is something that has been a passion since I was young.”
Asfahani graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in communication. She wanted to be a journalist like Peter Jennings or an interpreter for the United Nations.
Asfahani’s brother, Rida Asfahani, the owner of Root Architects, and project manager Sammy Orozco helped design the restaurant. Asfahani said they incorporated Londonesque features into the design because it is one of her favorite cities.
The redbrick walls and cement column in the middle of the restaurant are part of the original building. By the kitchen, artist Christin Apodaca painted bees and a honeycomb with the chemical compound for honey.
The Five Points neighborhood has seen an uptick in business development over the last five years. Joe Vinny and Bronson’s Bohemian Café opened in 2012, and its success attracted other entrepreneurs to the area.
Above Salt and Honey, on the second floor of the Stevens Building, loft apartments opened last year. And south of Piedras and Montana you can find a few other businesses such as Coconuts Bar and Grill, 1/8 Pizza Pub, Dewey’s Corner Pub and Good Coffee. Also, GECU branch is slated to open on Yandell and Piedras soon.
One block north, the Pershing Inn, Love Buzz and the Italian Kitchen continue to attract business from all over the city.
The revival of the Five Points neighborhood in Central El Paso has economic roots to it, said Jim Erickson, president of the Five Points Development Association. He likes what he sees so far.
“It’s nice to be able to not go so far to shop for something,” Erickson said. “It’s more inviting and attractive.”
The menu at Salt and Honey includes all-day breakfast, brunch and lunch entrees. A variety of beverages are available, including coffee, tea, beer and wine.
Each menu item is a reflection of Asfahani’s time living in El Paso, her heritage and travels. One brunch item is called “La Huevona.” She said the name has an obvious tie to El Paso lingo and culture.
“It’s a way of connecting with people on a very visceral level, culturally and emotionally,” she said.
One of the most popular items is “The Londoner,” a breakfast dish with two fried eggs, Portobello mushroom cap, honey bacon, green chile cheese hash browns, house-made turkey sausage, a roasted tomato and a wholegrain or gluten-free piece of bread.
“It’s outsiders that stereotype us to tacos and enchiladas,” she said. “People here are open to all kinds of things.”
Another popular item served at the restaurant is the Hummus Avocado Toast. It reminds her of when her dad taught her to make his hummus, which is famous among friends and family.
“It was that passing of the torch sort of thing,” she said. “It was like feeling nostalgic for all kinds of childhood memories.”
