Taste of Jerusalem to open an Italian sister restaurant this spring. Here's what we know.

It’s been a busy year for Taste of Jerusalem owner Ray Sehweil. While he is working on an express version of his popular restaurant at 5039 Bayou Blvd., he is simultaneously planning an Italian restaurant, Pizza Me. Pasta You., slated to open this spring.

The new business will share the same building as its sister restaurant, Taste of Jerusalem at 2805 W. Cervantes, but will take on an entirely different look and flair that resembles the Mediterranean island of Sicily. In addition to the indoor dining area, he plans to create an open-air courtyard with warm lighting, lots of greenery and a table full of divine Italian cooking.

He will likely open the indoor portion of the restaurant first before making his way to the outdoor courtyard.

Although Sehweil may be known and credited for bringing Middle Eastern cuisine to the Pensacola area, he has a diverse culinary background. He credits a lot of his experience to living and owning restaurants near Lincoln Park in Chicago, which served as a pizza hub.

“Not everyone knows what Middle Eastern food is all about, but everyone loves pizza and pasta. We’re good at it because we have the experience,” Sehweil said. “I don’t want to say I’m an Italian chef but come in and taste it. If you think I am — call me an Italian chef if you think I deserve it. It’s not talk, it’s walk. We will prove that coming up.”

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Sehweil said the restaurant is a culmination of his life experiences, some of the recipes on the menu dating back years to when his children were growing up.

“If dad said, ‘I’m making chicken lime pasta,’ everybody will jump,” Sehweil said. “These are the true facts.”

His daughter, Natalie, can testify to the nights he spent making dough in the middle of the night, or preparing a batch of that chicken lime pasta, made with fettucine pasta, peppers, onions, basil and creamy lime sauce.

He decided to create a new restaurant on his property as a way of giving back to the Brownsville community by increasing their variety of dining options in the area. Also, his kitchen was the right size to support the new venture.

“I make the dough for my bread every day, so why not?” he said.

Building on Papa Ray’s local legacy

When Sehweil expanded Taste of Jerusalem from its original Pace Boulevard location, the restaurant replaced local restaurant Papa Ray’s. He said his Brownsville customers “were devastated” that they no longer had a local pizza joint.

Pizza Me. Pasta You. is a way of filling that void, but with his own personal twist.

He said he intends to fuse together techniques of the great pizza cities — Chicago, New York City and California — to bring the best of all three to Brownsville.

Papa Ray’s fans will also be delighted to learn that he is also bringing fried chicken back on the menu, offering chicken breasts, wings and tenders.

Customers will be able to customize their pizzas with premium toppings that take it to the next level, like goat cheese, eggplant, shrimp, Italian Sausage, sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts.

However, if you don’t want to get creative with customizing your own, Sehweil’s gourmet pizzas cover all of his favorite flavors, such as the Pesto Lovers, Thai Chicken, Rosemary Potato and Chicken and even one simply titled “Onions” to the celebrate one of the most underrated pizza toppings of them all.

There are also some traditional choices on the menu for the less adventurous, like the Meat Lovers, Four Cheese, Greek or Barbecue.

Another key shining point of the new concept will be the pasta.

Some of the specialty options will include Angel Hair Pesto Tuscan chicken, Pesto Shrimp Linguine, Spicy Chicken Linguine and Seafood Pasta.

The restaurant will also offer signature sandwiches and salads for lighter fare.

Sehweil hopes that the Italian concept will be away to continue to build up the Brownsville community.

“Brownsville is becoming an authentic restaurant area… Brownsville reminded me exactly of Bucktown in Chicago. Bucktown was an abandoned area that all of a sudden became a hub for everybody that wanted to be entertained, restauranteurs opening left and right,” Sehweil said. “I’m sure it’s going to work out because we do have the clientele, the crowd, the neighborhood and everybody to accommodate us."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Taste of Jerusalem opening Italian restaurant in Pensacola