Arabic music entwines with the smell of baking pita and roasting lamb. Nestled on Bethel Avenue, Damask Café Eastern Mediterranean Grill has taken over the spot that was previously home to Bella Avanti since its opening in mid-January. Damask Café is bringing Mediterranean cuisine to the Midwest, but for owner Bassam Helwani, it’s about bringing home with him.
After attending Damascus University in Syria, Helwani came to the United States to study computer engineering at the University of Kansas. He eventually ran his own IT company, B-InTouch Solutions. Inspired to promote harmony within the community, Helwani is using his restaurant as an opportunity to infuse American and Middle Eastern cultures.
“I want to associate positive feelings with that [Middle Eastern] region,” Helwani said. “And I think the best way to that is through food ... and food is a universal language.”
Helwani said he is proud of his culture and his family. His biggest motivation to move to Muncie was to be closer to his grandchild. After seeing that the former Bella Avanti building was unoccupied, he decided to bring Middle Eastern food to Muncie. Then Café Demask, named after his home, was created.
“The theme of our food is infusion, Mediterranean with American influence,” Helwani said.
Helwani is no stranger to running a restaurant since he previously owned a restaurant, which had won a few culinary awards.
In order to connect with the community, Helwani has been working closely with Ball State students to help get the restaurant up and running. Most of the servers at the restaurant are students in the hospitality department. He even enlisted two students to help pick the color schemes and the decorations for the restaurant.
This resulted in what he called a “cozy and romantic” atmosphere. And it’s all combined with a restaurant playlist of music tailored to bridge cultures and to promote inclusion.
“The playlist is mostly Arab singers who lived in either Europe or the United States, or American singers with Middle-Eastern influenced songs,” Helwani said.
The restaurant’s menu includes items such as gyros, grilled-chicken wraps, veggie wraps, lamb kebobs, sharwarmas, salads, pita bread and more. Helwani said the food can contribute to the healthy eating trend that is growing in America.
Patrons such as Nile Wright, a junior music media production major, have been quite pleased with the service so far. Wright ordered a chicken shawarma wrap, which he said was delicious and he will “definitely be coming back in the future.”
“If you cannot go around the world to taste the food, then the food is coming here,” Helwani said.
