ZAZ Jars is a new family-run business with a rotating menu of small batch food jars, all handmade in the GTA.
While the family specializes in pickled vegetables, their product lineup that's created fresh every week includes the occasional appearance of soul foods like a hearty lentil soup, hummus, smokey and flavour-packed baba ganoush and the perfect creamy, crunchy and nutty rose pistachio pudding. If you're lucky, you'll come across their bundle options, which in the past have included their favourite pickled jars accompanied with pillowy homemade doughs like zaatar manaeesh or sesame bread twists.
This passion project is lead by Amanda Girgis, who balances a full-time job in digital communications at the Royal Ontario Museum, with her determination to share food beloved in her own household. According to Girgis, ZAZ Jars is fuelled by her food-centred upbringing.
"I’m invested in working in arts and culture," she said. "But I guess you could say my family subconsciously instilled the entrepreneurial spirit in me."
Though her parents have since retired from restaurant life, the impact their culinary endeavours had on their daughter are incredibly present through ZAZ.
"My parents are immigrants to Canada––my mom from Palestine and my dad from Egypt," Girgis explained. "They began their lives together here in Canada in the restaurant world for over 30 years when I was only a baby."
Girgis reflected on her experience growing up in and around the industry under her parents, like the fond memories of wiping down tables, filling up salt and pepper shakers with her mom and helping her dad close up shop on a Sunday afternoon. She emphasized the gruelling hard work and long hours of working in the industry and how it impacted her perspective on her own business as well.
"They worked long hours running their business to make a modest living preparing everything from sandwiches to multi-course dinners," she said. "Together they a built reputation in our community for not only their delicious meals, but also their unmatched hospitality."
The thought of releasing something representative of her parents' time in restaurants, back into the food scene again in someway, was encouraged by those outside the family who both longed for and admired meals from them.
"We often run into old customers and the first question is typically about if we’re back in business because they miss the food so much. My friends beg to join our family dinners and my colleagues often ask me to bring more of my lunch from previous days," Girgis said.
Girgis notes that the cooking techniques, as well as offerings are heavily influenced by the cultures and cuisines that come out of the Middle East and North Africa, saying that they have 'married' all the best elements from around the region to create the jars.
Their favourite jar offered is the one that started it all for them––the 'OG Turnips' are a mainstay on the menu. They're hand cut and naturally dyed with beets, making them appear a vibrant pink. Pickled turnips were initially offered for their versatility and being able to pair with any meal.
"My family is proud of the ingredients we use and the dishes we have mastered over the years to not let it live on in some form," said Girgis. "ZAZ Jars was our reincarnation and truly the best way I could honour my parents."
Like the other jars offered, they are made with natural ingredients with no chemicals or preservatives. All their pickled vegetable offerings are tangy and pack the perfect crunch in every bite. For their line of spicy peppers and items like their pickled cucumbers that bring a bit of heat, the vegetables are bathed in spices and then later jarred. Their current pepper offering is a jar of mini yellow peppers, which despite being small in size, burst with flavour and will definitely give you a mouthful of heat.
Right now ZAZ Jars is delivery only, but are actively seeking partnerships within the GTA for pick-up options. To get your hands on a jar, use their order form which you can also find in their Instagram bio and take advantage of that free delivery in the GTA. There is a minimum order of two jars for delivery to most locations, but it'll be tough to narrow down your order anyways with all that they offer.
