A new deli is open in Fresno. How Persian flavors and motherhood show up on the menu

Bethany Clough
·4 min read

There’s a new deli open in north Fresno.

But Grazing Table Deli at Sommerville Drive and Perrin Avenue is so much more than a place to get a quarter pound of sliced ham.

There are all kinds of meals, such as smoked tri-tip and other sandwiches, charcuterie boxes, several types of hummus made in house, even peanut butter and jelly for the kids — crust optional.

Look closely and you may notice some Persian flavors working their way onto the menu. That stems from owner Auzzie Lewis’ background. She was born in Iran before growing up in California.

And if the no crusts on kids’ sandwiches wasn’t a clue, she’s a mom of two little ones.

She got her start with The Grazing Table Events, a charcuterie (picture lavish displays of meat, cheeses and fruit) business that turned into a catering company.

A grazing box featuring artisanal cheeses, cured meat, seasonal fruit, pickled items, dried fruit, nuts, and salami rose available at the Grazing Table Deli at their new location in northeast Fresno.
A grazing box featuring artisanal cheeses, cured meat, seasonal fruit, pickled items, dried fruit, nuts, and salami rose available at the Grazing Table Deli at their new location in northeast Fresno.

She’s really hoping Grazing Table, in the former Melange eatery, becomes “the neighborhood deli.”

“I’ve always had a passion for food,” she said. “I love aesthetics. I feel like you eat with your eyes. It’s all about presentation.”

There’s a lot more to share about Lewis and the family behind the restaurant, which opened Tuesday. But first, what can you eat there?

The food

A barbecue tri-tip and provolone sandwich with french fries made from fresh potatoes is boxed up at the Grazing Table Deli in northeast Fresno on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.
A barbecue tri-tip and provolone sandwich with french fries made from fresh potatoes is boxed up at the Grazing Table Deli in northeast Fresno on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.

Various sizes of charcuterie boxes are for sale, including individually sized cones.

There are hot and cold sandwiches on the menu. Lots of turkey options – you can get it with havarti cheese or with pastrami. There’s an Italian sandwich with four kinds of meat: prosciutto, coppa, salami and mortadella.

The hot sandwiches are where Lewis’ husband Caleb gets excited. He’s been grilling and smoking since he was 19.

Now he smokes meat in a smoker behind the deli. The tri-tip is smoked over mesquite and cherry wood.

The barbecue tri-tip is already a popular seller. Grazing Table will eventually be selling family sized tri-tip and chicken meals.

There are salads too, including a kale power salad with quinoa and blueberries that might taste better than any kale dish you’ve ever had.

The Mediterranean chicken pita is made with chicken marinated in lemon juice and olive oil, with feta, basil and a Persian cucumber salad with tomatoes and red onions.

Persian flavors

A barbecue tri-tip and provolone sandwich, Italian sandwich with four kinds of meat, and sides like mac and cheese, pasta and kale salad are on the menu at the Grazing Table Deli in northeast Fresno .
A barbecue tri-tip and provolone sandwich, Italian sandwich with four kinds of meat, and sides like mac and cheese, pasta and kale salad are on the menu at the Grazing Table Deli in northeast Fresno .

This is where Lewis’ background comes in. She lived in Orange County since she was 6, growing up learning recipes from her mom.

Her mother ran a day care. The kids would bring their lunches, but wouldn’t eat them. They wanted the Persian food Lewis and her mom would cook instead.

Persian food overlaps with Mediterranean flavors you’re likely already familiar with, Lewis said.

“In Persian food, you’re going to find a lot of citrus,” she said. “We use a lot of vegetables — lemon-based everything. You have that tartness.”

Family

Ashley McPherson, from left, Kris Marshall of the Clovis Culinary Center, and Destiny Fenwick work in the kitchen at the Grazing Table Deli in northeast Fresno on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.
Ashley McPherson, from left, Kris Marshall of the Clovis Culinary Center, and Destiny Fenwick work in the kitchen at the Grazing Table Deli in northeast Fresno on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.

After she and Caleb Lewis — he’s a Fresno native — met in Orange County and married, they moved back here to be closer to family.

And there’s a lot of family around Grazing Table. Caleb Lewis’ mom Cherie is in the kitchen a lot.

And the petite “Nugget,” as Auzzie Lewis calls her — actually Destiny Fenwick — is Caleb’s cousin’s granddaughter.

“She just looks like a nugget of joy,” she said. “She’s always smiling.”

Auzzie is not a nickname for the owner, by the way. It’s her middle name. Her first name is Azadeh, but people had trouble pronouncing it so she started going by Auzzie.

She used to work in sales. She was on maternity leave with her second child — Cyrus, now 3, who came along after Riley, 8 — when she decided to start the charcuterie business.

And although a newborn baby didn’t quite provide the flexibility she was hoping for, it worked out. She and employees with kids would put together the charcuterie boards on evenings and weekends when their partners were home to take care of the kids.

Lewis liked being able to show her daughter a new path.

“I want her to see that you can push yourself and anything is within in your reach,” she said — even if you do occasionally have to take a break to cry in the corner.

And there’s another benefit to this kind of entrepreneurship, Lewis joked: “I can have a business and have all the cheese in my house and not get in trouble for spending money on expensive cheese.”

She started operating out of the Clovis Culinary Center, a nonprofit kitchen that helps people start food-related businesses.

Now, Grazing Table is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day but Mondays.

A grand opening is scheduled for noon to 3 p.m. May 27 in the parking lot, with other vendors.

After that, Grazing Table will be open for dinnertime hours.

Last week, customer Teri Sherron of Fresno stumbled across the business on its second day. She works from home and likes to get out of the house by buying a healthy lunch and eating it in a nearby park.

Grazing Table is ideally located for that and is needed in the neighborhood, she said.

“We don’t have many delis around and if we do, they’re big chains,” she said. “I’d rather have the small business owner.”

Details: The Grazing Table Deli is at 9525 N. Sommerville Dr. Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. now, with dinner hours coming soon.

Auzzie Lewis recently opened Grazing Table Deli, an outgrowth of her catering business, The Grazing Table Events, at Sommerville Drive and Perrin Avenue in north Fresno. The location adds several sandwiches, sides and salads to go with their charcuterie grazing boxes and catering food.
Auzzie Lewis recently opened Grazing Table Deli, an outgrowth of her catering business, The Grazing Table Events, at Sommerville Drive and Perrin Avenue in north Fresno. The location adds several sandwiches, sides and salads to go with their charcuterie grazing boxes and catering food.