Published: 08.23.2006

UA-area restaurants spice up our dining choices

International students push culinary diversity

LA MONICA EVERETT-HAYNES and TEYA VITU
Tucson Citizen

"The most happening place in Tucson" is a major reason we can enjoy such treats as Vietnamese bubble tea, Ethiopian flat bread and Cuban roast pork.

The University of Arizona, with 37,000 students and 14,000 employees, blossomed into a city within a city with the start of classes this week. Student purchasing power and UA's international community help drive culinary diversity here, but students aren't the only ones who enjoy the variety.

"The older generations thought it was exotic to eat Chinese food. Now it is a more diverse palate," said Cynthia R. Cohen, a retail expert who serves on the advisory board of UA's Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing.

Many restaurateurs want to open a niche near the university, said Saurabh Sareen, Kababeque Indian Grill owner "It's definitely the most happening place in Tucson," said Sareen, who opened his grill at 845 E. University Blvd. two years ago.

Sareen, whose family owns Tucson's New Delhi Palace, said university areas are so promising that he intends to open another Kababeque early next year at Arizona State University. Shafi Kushkaki, whose wife, Diba, owns Sultan Palace, 345 W. Drachman St., said about 30 percent of the clientele comes from UA during the semester.

When the Kushkakis left Afghanistan seven years ago, they settled in Tucson because Shafi Kushkaki is a general contractor and was looking for a growing area. Their attention shifted to food service after they noticed a gap in Afghan cuisine. "Since we are not that far from campus, international students, especially from Arab countries and the Middle East, definitely play a big role," Kushkaki said. Chris Yap also found a niche with his Malaysian restaurant, Seri Melaka, at 6133 E. Broadway.

Though Yap's restaurant is about seven miles away from UA, business tends to pick up this time of year. "We do see quite a lot of university folks coming by. You see improvement as soon as the term started," said Yap, the last of his siblings to move to Tucson from Malaysia in 1991. His mother came here in 1976, following Vietnamese refugees she was helping in Malaysia who ended up coming to Tucson. Yap opened a second restaurant, Neo of Melaka, at River Road and Campbell Avenue in November.

Yap attributes the increased business to the food being "unique." My Dinh, who is from Vietnam, opened her restaurant because she was tired of stockpiling Asian sandwiches in her freezer after trips to southern California. But she had no choice because Tucson did not have a deli that made Asian sandwiches. So, she opened Asian Sandwich Deli late last year at 1710 E. Speedway Blvd. "It's nothing like what you get in the store," said Dinh, who makes her own bread and sandwich spread on site.

"I just wanted to introduce it to Tucson so people could try it." Dinh said attracting customers wasn't easy at first. People can sometimes be skeptical of international food, she said. But an advantage to being near a campus is that customers tend to be open-minded, Dinh said.

"I make a lot of effort to introduce the food to the community," she said. "When they try it and accept the taste, they want to try again." Govinda's Natural Foods Buffet's menu grows from a spiritual philosophy. Sharon Cooksey, a Hare Krishna, prepares and serves organic, vegetarian, Greek and Indian food, mostly nondairy. "Students love it because it's all healthy and high in protein.

The athletes really appreciate it," said Cooksey, who has operated the business at 711 E. Blacklidge Drive with her husband since 1991. "People come and learn about the food," said Cooksey, who offers the occasional cooking class.

"It becomes real to them and it becomes a more practical alternative."