New Restaurant: The Hummus & Pita Company Opens in Brookfield

BROOKFIELD, CT -- Although an engineer by training, food has always been Sami Shah's passion. The Danbury resident says that he was searching for an opportunity to switch gears and make bread and butter his bread and butter when he stumbled across a Hummus & Pita Co. restaurant in New York City.

"I tasted their food and it was lovely, it was like an extension of my kitchen," Shah said. The eatery's Mediterranean made-from-scratch-daily menu and freshly baked pita and laffa breads lend themselves to the comparison.

As is not uncommon in cases of love at first bite, deals fell into place pretty quickly, and Shah found himself preparing for the grand opening of the first Hummus & Pita Co. location in Connecticut, on Saturday, August 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"Everyone behind the franchise is just an amazing bunch of people: great concept, good vision, lots of family values. I felt compelled to bring it to my backyard."

That compulsion now resides at 15 Federal Road in Brookfield, and as franchises go, Shah looks to be getting in on the ground floor of this one. His is the first Hummus & Pita Co. restaurant outside of the three NYC flagship locations. The company plans additional expansion in Denver, New Jersey, Detroit and Los Angeles.

Shah believes that his exotic menu brings some value to his community through the diversity it represents, but there is nothing exotic about his no-nonsense business strategy.

"People want to come into a shop, get good food, be able to customize it, get it fast, and stay within their budget," he explained.

The competition stays competitive mostly because their menus are limited, Shah reasons. He believes the breadth and variety of his menu will give him an edge.

"I like to believe that someone can come to Hummus and Pita 15 times, and always walk out saying, 'next time I am going to try that, I've never had that before.'"

Shah predicts Brookfield is going to go large for the shawarma. A big hit in the courts of the Ottoman Turks where it was invented, the intricate mix of meats served from a spinning spit has gone on to become one of the most popular street foods in the world, if not so much in southwestern Connecticut. The chicken component marinates for a day in Shah's secret sauce before being cooked with the rest of the meat in a tabun -- a special clay oven from the Middle East.

"It's a painstaking process," Shah said.

About that Grand Opening: It promises to be pretty over-the-top, even by Ottoman Turk standards. Billed as a "Brooklyn-style block party," it will kick off with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Danbury Chamber of Commerce at 11 a.m. Raffles, prizes and a falafel eating contest with a $200 cash prize are all on tap. The first one hundred customers will get a free falafel pita or hummus shake (like a milkshake, but completely vegan, no added sugar, and 20-plus grams of protein). Danbury radio station 98Q will broadcast the shenanigans live with DJ Rich Minor.

A chickpea-themed dunk tank and face painting will also feature prominently in the festivities Saturday. As Shah explained, "Our community is very family-oriented, and we want this to be a family place."

Photo of Sami Shah provided.