New Haven Independent

The One Stop Mart & Deli at the corner of Orange and Canner Streets reopened two weeks ago under new ownership. Hassoun (pictured) joins a wealth of longstanding stores in a hopping deli district stretching down Orange Street from East Rock Park to Pearl Street.

Walking downtown from East Rock Park, snack-seekers will find many choices for fresh food: Romeo and Cesare’s, P&M’s Orange Street Market, which just opened under new ownership, Nica’s Market, which is considering expansion, and Cafe Romeo, soon to open at Orange and Pearl Streets.

When Hassoun thought about adding his store to that chain, he realized the competition may be tough.

“I have to have a different type of food to survive,” he concluded.

Hassoud, who’s from Syria, noticed there’s no place to get Middle Eastern food in East Rock. With such an international community in the neighborhood, he thought his home cuisine might prove popular.

The flavors of Syria appeared to win over these two customers who stopped by to check out the store Friday.

Peter and Sheila de Bretteville (pictured) tasted a cup of kiffer cheese yogurt, made fresh that day.

“It’s good!” came Sheila’s review. She said it had none of the clayish texture of commercial yogurts.

“There’s hardly any place where you can get a tasty, good homemade yogurt,” she remarked.

Out came samples of falafel, drizzled with yogurt. Hassoud said he makes a fresh batch of falafel mix each day, starting with dried chickpeas, adding spice, then plunging the thin patties in a deep fryer.

The verdict? “Crisp,” not heavy.

And the baklawa, a honeyed, nut-based dessert layered with filo dough? Not too sweet, opined Sheila de Bretteville. “Light,” her husband said.

She asked about one of her favorite Middle Eastern foods, a yogurt drink called ayron. Like many of the foods on the menu (pictured), that drink fell under the category of “not yet.”

But soon, said Hassoud, pointing to a large, empty mixing jug labeled Raspberry Lemonade, perched on the counter near the window. That’s where he plans to keep the ayron churning, made fresh every day.

Sheila de Bretteville applauded his efforts to serve up interesting, homemade food. After warmly welcoming Hassoud to the neighborhood, she left him with a piece of advice: “More of this,” she said pointing her empty cup of yogurt. She urged him to keep serving homemade food, though there may be economic pressure to serve more of “that.”

By “that,” she meant the non-deli half of the store, where shelves were stocked with Oreo cookies, Pringle chips, soda and assorted household goods.

Hassoud’s mart offers typical corner store fare such as ice cream bars and cigarettes, as well as some harder-to-find Middle Eastern goods, like pickles from Beirut, giant containers of black olives, and cans of Foul Medammas, which is made from Egyptian fava beans.

Hassoud, who’s 37, moved to the U.S. 12 years ago. He worked his way up from a job as a construction worker, painting homes in New York and Connecticut, to become the owner of a sequence of corner stores. He has owned marts in Bridgeport and Meriden, and on New Haven’s Shelton Avenue. The latter one was a corner store in a residential area, he said. He said the building had served as a store before, but neighbors didn’t want to see it used that way. They took the matter to city zoning officials, who shut down the store in 2006, Hassoud said.

After the zoning battle, Hassoud went back to Syria to “relax” for a while.

Then he came back and settled down in Fairfield, near the beach. Two months ago, he took over the former Orange Street Deli. He put in tiled floors and a new ceiling and painted the walls. He hung bright flags outside and, two weeks ago, opened the doors to customers.

How does he feel about launching a new business amid a recession?

“You have to take your chances,” said Hassoud. “I’m not going to sit home and ask the government for help. You have to try.”

Hassoud said he plans to offer delivery service. The store will be open: Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., he said.