Green Oak restaurateur wants diners with dietary restrictions to have options
GREEN OAK TWP. — Local restaurateur and caterer Susie Ansara wants customers with dietary restrictions to be able to order nearly everything off the menu.
More: New Mediterranean cuisine-inspired eatery to 'bring something different' to South Lyon area
Her eatery, Soup and Scoop Mediterranean Cafe, opened near South Lyon in 2019. Like most food service establishments, it took a hit during the pandemic — but Ansara also learned what made her cooking special.
She said more and more people with dietary restrictions were finding her. Ansara's menu centers on her own family recipes for Mediterranean dishes from the Middle East and Europe. The majority of her menu items are already gluten-free, Keto diet-friendly and free of most common allergens. She has options for customers on a vegan or paleo diet, and all meats are prepared to meet the standards for Halal.
Sometime in May, she plans to simplify her menu to cater to her crowd.
"Our food is naturally gluten-free," she said. "I have more customers that are gluten-free, and some who have celiac disease."
While she'll continue to offer a few dishes containing gluten, none of her ingredients will cross-contaminate. Customers will be able to order a gluten-free wrap on pita bread cooked in-house, or on pita bread containing gluten baked off-site.
Soup and Scoop also sells regular and gluten-free pasties from Michigan-based companies, gluten-free cookies from Plymouth-based Rumi's Passion, and gluten-free ice cream from Guernsey — including dairy-free and vegan options.
"I've been cooking this since I was seven or eight years old," Ansara said. "I was dreaming of opening a restaurant with healthy options. We've had people come from the doctor and say, 'My doctor told me I should eat Mediterranean.'"
Ansara was born in Jordon. Now a Northville resident, she came to the U.S. about 35 years ago. Before opening the eatery, she catered and taught cooking classes.
"It's all original recipes from grandma and my mother," Ansara said. "And I have not changed. I have not cut corners. Everything is made with great ingredients, just like I make at home. I don't know how to do it any other way."
Soup and Scoop's menu includes chicken shawarma, falafels, hummus, fattoush and lentil salads, chicken lemon rice and crushed lentil soups. Customers can customize bowls with bases, proteins, dips and sides, among other menu items. They also sell containers of soup to-go.
"We also offer meal plans for someone who doesn't want to cook. We can do a week of meals at a discount, or you can order more and freeze it," Ansara said.
The eatery at 10630 Rushton Road, Suite 5, in Blue Heron Place, has two outdoor patios that can fit about 60 people, plus a couple of dine-in tables. The restaurant offers carryout online, over the phone, and through third-party delivery services, plus curbside pickup.
— Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Green Oak restaurateur wants diners with dietary restrictions to have options
