KAZ kitchen +grocery
207 Guigues Ave (Corner of Cumberland)
613-789-3210
https://www.facebook.com/KAZkitchen/
By John Chenier
Many new small businesses6 are started by people looking to do something different, to finally act on a dream they have had for years — open their own bar, hair salon or restaurant, or maybe launch their own IT venture. The possibilities — and the pitfalls — of starting a business are endless.
But not everything is different. Photo John McQuarrie
Amin Kazemiahari — known as Kaz to his customers and Amin to his friends — has worked in the food industry for years. He developed a yearning to open a small restaurant of his own, but the right place in the right location had not come along. When the opportunity of taking over the Lauzon store at the corner of Cumberland and Guigues came up, while it was not a restaurant, Kaz could see some interesting possibilities.
Photo John McQuarrie
Lauzon’s has never been your typical corner store. Much of its business in the past came from the sale of fresh meat and, most importantly, “homemade” baked goods. Lauzon’s salmon pies, tourtière and shepherd’s pie were neighbourhood favourites. On any day, the pleasant aroma of what was cooking in the kitchen wafted through nearby streets. Even people who had moved away from Lowertown came back from time to time to buy them.
The existence of a kitchen was the main selling point for Kaz. He saw the trend of the millennials and busy working couples towards ready-to-eat meals and other prepared foods. He also recognized that the demographics of Lowertown was shifting to a younger, more mobile, more ethnically mixed community with different eating tastes and shopping habits. Lauzon’s, as it was, was stuck in time and could either adapt to the new conditions or risk the fate of becoming one more victim of change.
The plan when Kaz took over the store on February 1st of this year was to move away from the normal concept of a corner store and more towards a delicatessen model with an emphasis on prepared meals. He modified the kitchen and brought in new coolers to accommodate a new mix of inventory. He created his new take-away meal program with a modified menu which also included the old favourites such as shepherd’s pie.
And then came the Ides of March and the pandemic. The students left early and there is no indication when they will be coming back. Walk-in traffic and people browsing at the prepared food in the coolers faded away as anti-COVID measures were introduced. According to Kaz, most customers who came in were looking for the basics.
“I saw the need to carry more products to serve the community,” he says, “So I have modified my plans.” However, he is still nudging the store in the new direction
The new sign proclaiming the name change to Kaz Kitchen went up above the door on June 10th. He says he has received mixed feedback from the community about the change, but what’s done is done and Kaz knows the change is for the best. The sign with the new name serves as a warning of sorts that you should expect to see changes inside the store, as well.
And change it has. Kaz has brought in a wide selection of gluten-free products, options for dairy-free or low-carb diets and is slowly adding to the variety of ethnic foods he carries. He has increased the range of fresh produce and is better able to maintain its freshness by keeping it in his new coolers.
Meanwhile, he has continued to participate in The Sprout, a program from Ottawa U whose purpose is to provide dry meal kits for students to eat better. Kaz carries the onions, peppers and so forth that are intended to go with kits.
As for what’s up in the kitchen, when the pandemic struck, Kaz decided to begin with plainer food for take-out like burgers and fries which he sells mainly through Uber Eats. But if you go into the store, you have much more interesting choices. He uses Facebook and Instagram to post his menus and share his recipes to a growing list of followers.
This is what was on offer on August 28th.
Hot food special
- Spiced barley, kale and mushrooms with roasted chicken.
- Get it hot today!
- Grab it from takeaway fridge tomorrow!
For those not looking for complete meals ready to pop into the oven, Kaz has skewers of marinated pork or chicken pieces ready for the BBQ, fresh meat, poultry and merguez sausage. He is also developing a repertoire of charcuterie boards with specialty cured meats and cheeses and is open to suggestions from customers on the things they would like to see offered.
As was the case when it was Lauzon’s, KAZ Kitchen is not your typical corner store. When looking for a comparison, one that comes to mind is that it resembles a smaller version of the Mid-east store, but it also has hints of the famous Boushey’s Fruit Market that thrived on Elgin Street for over 70 years.
When asked whether he feels his changes are working out, Kaz replies, “The numbers (sales) are very different from before, but here comes September and who knows?”
As for the future, “I had a different vision of where I wanted to be six-months ago. My menus and prepared food (burgers, fries) are a bit plainer than I had planned, but I have made some changes in terms of food offerings. But it was a heck of a time to take over a business.”