Arabisk Cuisine is a family-owned restaurant group founded by husband and wife, Steve Zaitouni, Tehama Shamandi, and their sons Obie and Tamim, dedicated to bringing authentic Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food to Northern British Columbia.
Arriving in Prince Rupert in 2019 after relocating from Dubai, the family set out to build a business that kept their entire family working together. Executive Chef Tehama Shamandi built the concept around time-tested recipes learned directly from her mother, who was also a professional chef. The family navigated the challenges of launching during the global pandemic and transformed their vision into a thriving operation. Today, Arabisk operates locations in both Prince Rupert and Terrace, serving as a vital gathering hub for local organizations, family celebrations, and everyday community dining.
What Makes Arabisk’s Culinary Experience Unique in Northern BC?
Arabisk Cuisine provides the only dedicated Middle Eastern and Mediterranean menu in Northern British Columbia by combining authentic family recipes, scratch preparation, and genuine hospitality.
Introducing a completely new culinary category to Canadian communities hundreds of kilometres from major metropolitan centres required built-in operational discipline. Executive Chef Tehama Shamandi curates a distinct menu featuring house-made biryani, scratch-baked baklava, custom shawarma marinades, fresh colorful salads, and charcoal-grilled skewers. The kitchen team maintains strict consistency by cross-training all family members across every station, ensuring operational resilience and menu execution during high-volume periods.
General Manager Obie Zaitouni emphasizes that bringing this concept to Northern BC. was designed to foster deep community connection:
“Our cuisine, it’s actually the only one in northern BC It’s the only Middle Eastern cuisine… We try to have everybody walk through this door—our customers—to feel love, to feel welcome, to feel respected.”
Director of Operations Tamim Zaitouni highlights how every detail of Mediterranean dining contributes to a shared community experience:
“Mediterranean cuisine, it’s a very healthy cuisine. The colourful salads, the beautiful homemade dips, the spices that we use in our food, the freshness, the colours on the plate—they all add up to that experience. Arabisk is known for the art of the food in our culture, and we believe that food brings people together on one table.”
The family’s operational philosophy extends beyond their own bloodlines to include their workforce and daily operations. Steve Zaitouni and Tehama Shamandi manage the restaurants with a parental sense of care, ensuring staff members feel supported while holding high standards for kitchen execution and guest experience.
Operational Tip: Looking to protect your menu integrity and streamline remote supply chain logistics? See how we can support your business, sign up to become a customer today.
How Do We Partner Behind the Table With Arabisk?
We partner with Arabisk Cuisine by securing niche Middle Eastern spices, sourcing custom protein cuts, and delivering reliable logistics to their remote Northern BC kitchens.
Operating remote foodservice venues in places like Prince Rupert presents extensive logistical hurdles, including extended distributor transport routes and weather disruptions. To protect operational margins and inventory integrity, Arabisk consolidated its supply chain to partner exclusively with Gordon Food Service. General Manager Obie Zaitouni explains how this supply chain partnership protects their authentic scratch kitchen recipes:
“One of the crucial things that they helped us with was sourcing some of our main spices that we use for our daily operation in the kitchen, as well as special order meat that was able to be sourced from Gordon. With those ingredients that Gordon Food Service has secured for us, we’re able to do all of our dishes the authentic way.”
Maintaining reliable delivery schedules is critical when managing remote restaurant locations. Executive Chef Tehama Shamandi highlights how dependable distribution keeps her prep lines running without disruption:
“What I like in Gordon is the high quality of the products—the veggies, the meat, it’s very good… And the delivery, it’s always on time. They never miss an order. This is very important, especially because Prince Rupert is very, very far away.”
In addition to scheduled logistics, our dedicated protein and produce specialists consult with Arabisk’s culinary team on inventory management, yield optimization, and specialized ingredient sourcing. Director of Operations Tamim Zaitouni notes:
“The amazing team—we’ve had many specialists, protein specialists, and the veggie specialists that fly into Terrace… They’re always there when you need them. They are one phone call away. We really appreciate them being part of our business as well.”
Co-founder Steve Zaitouni stresses that having responsive distributor communication and tailored payment terms transforms a standard vendor transaction into a long-term business relationship:
“It’s like our partner.”
Ready to Build Your Foodservice Operation?
At Gordon Food Service, we take pride in standing behind the independent operators who feed, unite, and strengthen our communities. Whether you are operating a single neighbourhood kitchen or expanding your concept across Northern British Columbia, our team is committed to delivering the high-quality products, specialist expertise, and supply chain dependability your business needs to grow. Sign up to become a customer today!
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