Sumac: A Great Spice and A Story

Made with intention, found by chance

Have you ever picked up a food product in a store out of curiosity, only to realize over the years how good it was? That was my journey with sumac, a tangy red spice that energizes almost any dish.

Several years ago, I bought a jar of Sohha Savory Sumac Red Dry and kept it in the spice drawer. On occasion we had help in the kitchen and our friend noticed it.

“This is great. I didn’t know you had it,” she said. “I use this all the time.”

Since then, I’ve never been without Sohha Savory Sumac. I’ve tried other versions, but I felt the zing from this one worked for me. Everyone has their preference. I even added another variety, Sohha’s Za’atar Sumac, to the lazy Susan in my kitchen, which I spin when finishing a meal.

In a NYC galley kitchen, that lazy Susan is prime real estate. Only the most-used items live there, and Sohha Savory’s sumacs have earned their place. I sprinkle them on vegetables, chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, and salad. With a drizzle of olive oil, they’re so flavorful I rarely need salt.

Years after that first jar, I still find Sohha Savory in stores.

This year, I attended a startup event featuring food companies. And there was Sohha Savory! Behind the table stood the owner, Angela Mualem Fout, an energetic woman with red hair. She had no idea I was one of her biggest fans. I bought some more sumac before I left to make sure I had a stash in the kitchen.

The Mountains in Lebanon
Angela grew up in Beirut, near the American University, but her family had a house in the mountains in Houmal, where they spent weekends and summers. They still go. The property has za’atar, sumac, olive, and carob trees.

She moved to the U.S. at the age of 13 but continued to visit Lebanon.

“Olives, olive oil, sumac, za’atar, carob molasses, tahini, and maybe a jar of homemade jam. That’s basically your kitchen table in Lebanon.”

Angela recalled picking olives with her mom.

“You have to know which olives go in which pile, for soap, oil, or to eat.”

Her mother also taught her to cook and garden. They had 60 rose bushes and grew vegetables.

“I didn’t grow up in a house where food came from the store,” Angela said. “We picked it, watered it, and weeded the garden daily. It’s in my blood.”

Hearing her story reminded me of my own mother who likely knew I wasn’t paying much attention in the kitchen growing up. I probably should have.

A Rapid Ascent
Angela was an adjunct professor from 2004 to 2013. She loved to cook and often brought food to share. Before she was married, she dreamed of opening a hummus shop in Harlem.

When her husband lost his job in 2011, she began catering for her department at LaGuardia Community College to help pay the bills. Positive feedback gave her confidence. Around this time, they considered launching a food business on the side.

In April 2013, they started Sohha Savory from a kitchen in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. With a toddler in tow, Angela made labneh yogurt from her mom’s Lebanese family recipe. She hired students to help.

By May, they won the SlowMoneyNYC Pitch Competition. In June, they were in Brooklyn farmers’ markets. In August, their first store placement: Green Grape. By October, Sohha Savory opened in Chelsea Market.

The shop sold parfaits with local honey and yogurt, made from Hudson Valley milk, with toppings like za’atar and everything bagel seasoning. “Americans already knew everything bagel,” she said, “which made it easier to introduce savory yogurt.”

Customer demand for seasonings surprised her.

“We were the first ever to package za’atar sumac in a mason jar,” she said.

“At the shop, you could also get baba ghanouj, hummus, fruits, veggies, pita wraps and salad. Everything was fresh. No sugar, no preservatives, no thickeners,” she said.

In March 2014, New York Magazine named Sohha Savory “best yogurt.” Soon, they were in Whole Foods from Washington, D.C. to Maine. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal featured them.

“I’d be cooking at 3 a.m.,” Angela said. She stopped teaching and opened a larger kitchen in the Bronx. Sohha Savory was in a dozen markets weekly, with no marketing campaign.

“We created the Everything Bagel seasoning category,” she said. “No one had it as a seasoning.”

Life Happens
After her marriage ended in 2017, Angela shut down operations and moved to New Jersey with her daughter. She focused on baba ghanouj, dry sumac, za’atar sumac, and everything bagel seasoning, bootstrapping again in a commissary kitchen in Trenton.

By December 2018, her products had returned to Whole Foods. And I found them there recently myself.

“I make everything. I deliver, too,” Angela said. She handles distribution for Whole Foods and ships nationwide. Sohha Savory is now available at Whole Foods, Morton Williams, Union Market, FreshDirect, and online.

Entrepreneurs like Angela are why we have thoughtfully made foods on shelves. She’s rooted in heritage, clean ingredients, and purpose.

If you see Sohha Savory’s baba ghanouj or sumac, it’s a pretty good sign the store knows what it’s doing. She’s a woman-owned business too – we need more of those. And look at how her daughter has grown, an entrepreneur in the making!

Photo credit: All Photography with the exception of the Fischer Kitchen lazy Susan provided by Sohha Savory, including those taken by Christina Holmes Photography.