Waterville’s new Lebanese restaurant recalls immigrant roots and family recipes

WATERVILLE — When Tom Nail cooks, he always thinks of his mother, Caroline Nail. She learned everything about Lebanese cuisine from her.

As children, we locked arms in our family’s Front Street kitchen and learned how to make kibe sanieh, stuffed grape leaves, cabbage rolls, mujadala, tabbouleh, and other traditional dishes.

“I’ve always loved cooking Lebanese food,” Nare, now 76, said Wednesday. “My mother was fluent in Arabic, was on welfare as a single parent, and knew how to use the dollar. Bags of flour were very useful, and I was always in the kitchen and still cook.” I always wear her apron.”

The former District Court Judge, attorney, and Mayor of Waterville, who served the City of Waterville from 1986 to 1987, is currently pursuing a new venture. He plans to open a Lebanese restaurant, MEZZA, in about three weeks at 34 Temple Street, the site of a former Lebanese restaurant (also known as the Lebanese Bakery).

The eatery closed earlier this year after owner Raya Joseph passed away. Nare remembers her fondly.

“‘Raya’ means ‘blessed, beautiful’ in Arabic,” he says. “She was very kind and always had a smile on her face. She was a great cook and loved her job and loved the public and her family. I always wanted to leave a little extra money but… , she didn’t receive it.”

Nare had visited the eatery often and was sad to see it close. After Joseph’s death, he recalled asking her family if they wanted to continue the business, and if they did, he would support her to the best of his ability.

MEZZA, the former location of the Lebanese Bakery, is pictured on the right at 34 Temple St. in Waterville on Wednesday. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

“They decided they didn’t want to continue this,” Nare said. “I came in and renovated the entire space with the understanding that if I couldn’t find someone to cook everything correctly, I’d do it myself.”

Then culinary expert Jim Veilleux and his partner, Melissa Grant, contacted Nail and told him they wanted to open a Middle Eastern restaurant in Waterville. Mr. Veil, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, is a production chef at Redington Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, and Mr. Grant worked as a line cook at Colby College for nine years. After serious discussions about the restaurant, Nare said she was convinced that if they perfected her mother’s cooking, the two were the right pair to run the restaurant.

Veiroux said she likes to eat Lebanese food often and especially loves Raya Joseph’s traditional Easter cookies. He plans to bake cookies using Caroline Naar’s recipe, and the restaurant will have plenty of them, not just for Easter. He is excited about MEZZA, he said.

“I always wanted to have my own place,” Veil said. “And Tom made me an offer I couldn’t refuse to continue serving Lebanese food in Waterville,” he said.

Justin Jarduck, left, and Virginia Waters of Waterville prepare a meal during a promotion at MEZZA, 34 Temple St., Waterville, on Wednesday. The event featured a variety of Lebanese dishes and was free and open to all. Lebanese dishes such as tabbouleh, mujardal, cabbage rolls, grape leaves, and kibbeh were served at the event. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Nareh said the food at MEZZA, which means “small plate” in Arabic, is made fresh daily. He said MEZZA will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on some days and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on other days, but the exact schedule has not yet been finalized.

Lebanese roots

Weil and Nare greeted a stream of friends, family and other patrons who flooded into the restaurant for its second soft opening on Wednesday. They ate free food and chatted, many hugging, just a stone’s throw from Temple Street and Head of Falls, where Lebanese immigrants settled in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It reminded me of my childhood growing up on Front Street.

The restaurant’s newly painted walls are decorated with framed photos and stories of Nale’s grandparents, other relatives and family friends who lived at Head of Falls before the rowhouse was demolished years ago. Masu. Neighbors included the family of former U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell, who eventually moved to Front Street.

Mitchell’s sister Barbara Atkins and sister-in-law Janet Mitchell were among those who stopped by Wednesday, all hugging and sharing stories.

“The Lebanese community in Waterville is a very close-knit, strong community,” Atkins said, adding that Nare’s food is delicious and “reminds me of my mother’s cooking.”

King Court at Waterville’s Head of Falls, the site of a Lebanese community, is shown in historic photos on display along with other local Lebanese history at MEZZA, 34 Temple St., Waterville . Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Nare grew up on Front Street with his five siblings: Mel, John, Richard, Mark, and Carol. Their mother and all of their siblings were born in the Head of Falls home where they grew up, he said.

“My grandfather (also Thomas) had a stone oven at home and used to bake Syrian bread for the whole neighborhood.”

When Nare’s grandparents came to the United States from Lebanon, they left their only child behind in the former country until they could find work. When her grandfather got a job, her daughter Jeanne came to the United States with her aunt, Mintaha, her grandmother’s sister who became George Mitchell’s mother. George’s brother Paul was Nare’s godfather, and his godmother was Rosemary Baldacci, mother of former Governor John Baldacci.

“That’s not work.”

The aroma of spices filled the 20-seat restaurant, and Nare greeted customers with a smile.

“The thing about Lebanese and Middle Eastern food is that you talk when you cook,” he said. “It’s not an effort, it’s not a job. It’s fun because it’s a gathering.”

Tom Nail, right, hugs his cousin Janet Mitchell, 92, as Mitchell arrives at the door with her son Bob Mitchell at MEZZA, 34 Temple St., Waterville, on Wednesday. Janet Mitchell is the wife of Robert Mitchell, the younger brother of former U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Among those who visited the restaurant Wednesday were Heather Merrow, who lives in the city’s South End and Water, who lives in Belgrade but whose family owned Joseph’s Market on nearby Front Street. There was also Laurie Joseph, who grew up in the building.

“The food is really great,” Mellow said.

Laurie Joseph was at the counter, talking with Veil and tasting a Kibbe Sagnier. “I had it last week and it was delicious. He said the meat came from Joseph’s Market.” Oh my god, this is good. ”

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