Flavors of Phoenicia brings taste of Lebanon to North Idaho

PONDERAY — For Craig and Hadya Gines, Flavors of Phoenicia has never been simply about opening a restaurant. 

It has been about bringing Hadya's authentic Lebanese food, family traditions and flavors to the North Idaho community their family now calls home.

For the past two years, Flavors of Phoenicia has been growing in Ponderay alongside the community that has supported it. Craig and Hadya's children are part of that community too, and as the business has grown, so has their desire to give back. Each year they volunteer their time to support events benefiting the Idaho Foodbank — a natural extension of a family business built around feeding people and bringing them together.

Hadya brings the authenticity behind the food. These are not flavors created in a corporate test kitchen or built around a passing trend. They come from Lebanese cooking, family recipes and the food she knows. Together, Craig and Hadya have worked to turn those traditions into something they can share with their neighbors, visitors and travelers passing through North Idaho.

Now Flavors of Phoenicia is entering its next chapter. The business is introducing a growing line of Lebanese spice blends, meal mixes and salad dressing so customers can take those same flavors home and prepare them in their own kitchens.

Affordability is a major part of that goal. Craig and Hadya know that taking a family out to eat is not always within everyone's budget. They want authentic Lebanese flavors to remain accessible even when dining at the restaurant is not practical. Their Lebanese Lentil Soup Mix is a good example: for only a few dollars more than approximately the price of one prepared bowl at the restaurant, a customer can take a package home, cook it themselves and prepare enough to feed two or three people.

The philosophy extends throughout the retail line: make authentic Lebanese flavors approachable, convenient and as affordable as possible without sacrificing what makes the food authentic. The products are not intended to replace the restaurant. They are another way to share it.

As Flavors of Phoenicia moves into this next stage, Craig and Hadya are also preparing changes inside the restaurant. The menu will become more focused around a smaller selection of the Lebanese foods that customers have come to know and love, while familiar favorites remain part of the experience.

The change has a larger purpose. By simplifying restaurant operations, Craig and Hadya can devote more time and resources to producing their growing line of Lebanese spice blends and meal mixes and to working toward making those products affordable and readily available to more families.

Their goal is to eventually reach far beyond the walls of the restaurant while keeping Ponderay and North Idaho at the heart of Flavors of Phoenicia. Whether someone comes in for a meal, picks up a meal mix for an affordable family dinner, discovers one of Hadya's Lebanese spice blends, or is traveling through the area and takes something home, Craig and Hadya want there to be an accessible way to experience the flavors they have spent the past two years sharing with their community.

After two years, the business continues to grow, but Craig and Hadya want that growth to remain connected to the place that helped make it possible. For them, success is not only about selling more food. It is about raising their family here, supporting their community, sharing Hadya's Lebanese heritage, giving back when they can, and making those flavors accessible to more people.

From their family to yours, Flavors of Phoenicia is bringing a taste of Lebanon to North Idaho — at the restaurant and now at home.