Editor's note: Hi friends & happy holiday week! Today's story explores one of my fave Boise restaurants: Food Land Market. This story was written by Sonya Feibert Kuhn and photos are by Ted Harmon. Enjoy! - Marissa

Head north on Orchard Street past Overland Road on the Boise Bench, and you’ll drive by Lark & Larder (grab yourself a few cans of Idaho Kombucha, some Hummuna hummus, and a couple of The Chocolate Bar’s Hawaiian sea salt caramels), pass Campos Market (the tacos!), and possibly catch a whiff of the empanadas coming from Tango’s Empanadas on your left.

Then across the street on your right, just before Crone’s Cupboard, you’ll see it: a green, cheery storefront sign letting you know you’ve arrived at Food Land Market. Make time for a stop here and you’ll be rewarded by a wonderland of international foods and freshly-prepared delights.

Since opening in October of 2019, the family-owned international grocery store and bistro have attracted both local Bench dwellers and folks from across the Treasure Valley with its grocery store section offering food from all over the world, including spices, sauces, fresh milk, and sheep and goat cheese, plus a restaurant that serves freshly-made hummus, falafel, chicken tikka, pita, olives, and more.

For owner Hana Mutlak, opening a grocery store was in part about carrying on a family tradition. She grew up watching her aunt, uncle, and other family members run their grocery store in Iraq. “I grew up with this environment,” Hana said. “This is special to open a grocery store.”

When you first walk into Food Land, you’ll see the inviting seating area, which offers up free Wi- Fi, everything needed to brew you a hot, rich cup of Turkish coffee or cardamom tea, and sweet, flaky baklava to pair with it.

Turkish coffee is another flavor brought into Food Land from Hana’s childhood. It’s brewed with cardamom and served hot. For those new to it, Hana describes Turkish coffee as the middle ground between black coffee and espresso. “If you like espresso or black coffee, you will like our Turkish coffee. We serve it in a small cup so you can enjoy it.” Because, as Hana reminds us, “Coffee is not always about drinking coffee when you are working or running to work. Coffee drinking is more joyful. There is a special environment where you can enjoy your coffee. That’s how I grow up with coffee. I really like it. Especially in winter,” she adds with a smile.

You can order a cup any time of the day, though Hana recommends enjoying it in the morning.

In addition to Turkish coffee, Food Land’s restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner (the restaurant opens at 9 am and closes at 7 pm every day; the grocery store is open until 8 pm). Order your meal to go, or dine in and it will be brought out on beautiful wooden dishes and platters — one for hummus, another for seasoned rice, and another one for the zesty salad.

I asked Hana a bit more about the dishes served in the restaurant:

Where do the recipes come from?

"They’re our home recipes. Everything has been made from scratch. Everything is fresh. I like to serve my customers what I’m eating at home. Our food takes longer than other restaurants because we are cooking from scratch. It’s not halfway cooked, no. If you’re getting chicken tikka, it’s cooked fresh."

What’s your most popular dish?

"The chicken tikka and shawarma. Every Saturday we have fresh shawarma. We slice the meat into very thin slices. It takes hours. We marinate it all night. My son comes early to prepare it for customers at 9am. They really like it."

What’s your favorite dish?

"Everything! It’s my baby. Everything has a special taste."

What do you enjoy about Boise and the Boise Bench?

"People are supporting local businesses. That’s why they are sharing their experience with us — they want us to stay in business."

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Bringing Food Land to life took time, and it’s clear from the steady customers that the Treasure Valley was ready. Folks come from all over the Valley for freshly made food and international goods that aren’t easy to find elsewhere. As Hana shares of the journey, “It took us years to find a location, then we said, let’s add a restaurant.”

The choice turned out to be a fortuitous one with the pandemic happening just several months after Food Land opened. As Hana said, “With everyone shut down, we relied on the grocery store. If it were just a restaurant we wouldn’t be here today.”

Hana has plans to eventually open another location to serve customers in other parts of the Treasure Valley. For now, running a growing restaurant and grocery store keeps Hana and her family busy. “Right now, I’m in full mode,” she says.

One thing makes it all worth it, Hana confirms. “My customers' comments make me really happy. They take the hours of work away.”

When you go, here's a few items not to miss at the bistro and store:

Date syrup + Tahini

One Food Land family member recommended pouring date syrup on top of tahini and using it as a dip for pita, vegetables, and more, and I’m hooked. Nutty, sweet, and delicious, like a dynamic alternative to PB&J.

Baklava

Speaking of, find all the varieties of this sweet and nutty pastry treat that you can imagine at Food Land. Try baklava from across the Mediterranean and Middle East, from nuttier Lebanese varieties to sweeter Turkish rectangles, from pistachio-based treats to walnut-focused.

Ask Hana her favorite, and she’ll confirm you really can’t go wrong: “All of them. They’re all good.”

Dates

From Deglet Noor to Barni to Medjool, Food Land serves up a delicious variety of these sweet treats. Dates make a great dessert alongside nuts and tea and add a nice sweetness when paired with savory foods. The boxed sets also make a lovely gift alongside a Turkish coffee brewing set or baklava.

Turkish coffee

Sit down in the cafe for a freshly-brewed cup of this hot, rich, cardamom-infused delicacy. You can also buy coffee beans in the store and the equipment to make Turkish coffee at home.

Shawarma

The most popular item on the Food Land menu, the meat is marinated for hours ahead of time for maximum flavor, then thinly sliced. Order a platter and eat it alongside Food Land’s hummus, pita, tzatziki, seasoned rice, and zesty salad.

Food Land is a great place to take fam & friends visiting from out of town, and a great place to find interesting gifts & stocking stuffers. If you go check it out & enjoy it, let us know!

Thanks for reading & happy eating!

With love from Boise,

Marissa

​Click here to read this story on the web!​

PS - I have 10 From Boise shirts left! It's the final countdown. Get your order in this week & I'll throw in a sticker & make sure you get it by xmas! Order a From Boise shirt here.​

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This story was written by Sonya Feibert Kuhn, a writer, improviser, and performer in Boise. She's an avid Treeforter and an enthusiastic patron of and participant in the storytelling and comedy scenes. On sunny days, find her in the foothills hiking with her pup, Chloe, and partner, Mitch.

Photos are by Ted Harmon.

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