Hummus is having its kale moment among local Cleveland foodies. It鈥檚 been trending for several months now on two Facebook groups, where members have been raving about the homemade hummus they鈥檝e found not at local restaurants or specialty markets, but at gas stations. That鈥檚 right -- gas stations, like the Sunoco at the corner of Columbia and Sprague Roads in Olmsted Falls, where Rita DiCello gave the hummus sold there high marks.
鈥淭his is amazing. So creamy. Perfect salt. Good quality olive oil,鈥� said DiCello, rolling her tongue over a spoonful of hummus. DiCello is a co-administrator of the Facebook group, Northeast Ohio Foodies. Like many self-described foodies, DiCello will make an extra effort to seek out the new, the interesting, the different. She traveled an hour from her home in Kirtland to sample this Sunoco鈥檚 hummus.
Social media is also filled with praise for the homemade hummus at a Sunoco at the corner of Lost Nation Road and Lakeshore Blvd. in Willoughby. Keith Bowes of Willoughby Hills shops there every other week, and often posts pictures of his purchases.
鈥淢y favorite is the garlic,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou can't eat it when you're going to be around people.鈥�
Hummus is popular at the Ohio City Gas station at the intersection of Lorain Avenue and Fulton Road on Cleveland鈥檚 West Side.
鈥淗ummus in a gas station? Yes. They want the healthy stuff,鈥� said hummus maker Nazek Allan.
Across the country, convenience stores are in the midst of a transformation. They鈥檙e going beyond beef jerky and junk food and offering fresh produce, yogurt, even . Consumers like it.
Healthy is one thing. Hip is another. The gas station hummus in Cleveland is blowing foodies鈥� minds and blowing up the business at these establishments.
鈥淵ou guys are all eating hummus today, alright? Make sure you guys are hungry,鈥� Khalil Dari called out from his post behind the deli counter at the Sunoco at Columbia and Sprague Roads in Olmsted Falls. He and his parents own the gas station. It鈥檚 the epicenter of the #gasstationhummus conversation.
鈥淚t was a question asked, like, 'Who has the best hummus in Cleveland, in Ohio,' or "where's the best hummus at?' ,鈥� said Dari, who鈥檚 also a member of NEO Foodies. 鈥淧eople kept tagging' Sunoco, Sunoco, Sunoco.' So, I鈥檓 getting all these feeds. I鈥檓 like, what the heck is going on?鈥�
DiCello said mention of the Daris鈥� hummus started trending last May.
鈥淓verybody started to chime in and wanted to try it and then it became this phenomenon where everybody wanted their hummus,鈥� she said.
鈥淪ales definitely increased,鈥� said Khalil Dari. 鈥淲e鈥檙e getting a lot of outsiders. A lot of Indiana, Kentucky. It鈥檚 crazy.鈥�
Dari's mom, Muntaha Dari, is the skilled cook who makes "Momma Mary's Hummus." She's reimagined the humble Middle Eastern staple, offering flavors like roasted garlic, pomegranate and cranberry.
鈥淚'm the type of person that likes to experiment. That's why I don't have recipes. I just put a little bit of this and a little bit of that,鈥� she said.
When she started, five years ago, Muntaha Dari says she was making 30 to 40 8-ounce containers of hummus a week. Now, she says, she makes at least that many a day. She works when the Sunoco is closed, at a small table near the deli counter. She blends chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor, pours the hummus into containers, and pounds each one on the table to settle the contents.
鈥淟ike, I鈥檓 just so about putting them in the containers and packing them up. And I love it, to be honest with you, I love it. I can鈥檛 have it any other way. And that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 hard for me to find somebody as passionate to help me. If there鈥檚 somebody out there, I鈥檇 appreciate their help!鈥� she said.
She could turn to some of the members of her large, extended family. But several of them are her top competitors. Those other places earning gas station hummus praise on Facebook? Her brother owns the gas station in Ohio City. Her sister owns the one in Willoughby.
鈥淵eah, my sister, Nuha, before NEO foodies and before anything, she asked me, she鈥檚 like, could you please show me how you do your hummus. And, I鈥檓 like, okay鈥� said Muntaha Dari.
Little sister Nuha Allan says she immediately saw results.
鈥淪o, like, in a month, the hummus, it's big,鈥� she said. She said she knew how popular her sister鈥檚 hummus was, but she was still surprised at how quickly it took off.
Allan鈥檚 success has big sister Muntaha expressing regret that she gave away her secrets.
鈥淚f I knew NEO Foodies, and how it was going to get this big, I wouldn't have shown her how to do it,鈥� she said with a giggle.
And there鈥檚 more family competition from sister-in-law Nazek Allan鈥檚 hummus at Ohio City Gas. Nazek Allan鈥檚 hummus recipe is her own, but there's still a strong family connection. She learned it from her mother-in-law.
鈥淵eah, she was the best cook. She taught us to be perfectionists, she taught us to make great food, to please your guests,鈥� she said of her sisters-in-law, Nuha and Muntaha. 鈥淪o, they do, they put their heart in it. We put our hearts in it.
The popularity of their hummus has fired the imaginations and drive of these women. Each has plans to offer other homemade foods or expand their reach. Foodies tend to gravitate toward the special and the hard-to-find, but NEO Foodie co-administrator Rita DiCello wouldn鈥檛 mind if gas station hummus outgrows the gas station.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a local family. Nice family. Hard-working. Making quality food from scratch. It鈥檚 perfect.,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 happy for them and I hope people take note and perhaps start something like this themselves who have a business.鈥�
(Here's a fun hummus song we like, by comedian and musician , also known as "GoRemy." He's done others; check them out on his )
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