Food truck owner Suzy Phillips‘ new brick-and-mortar venture, Gypsy Queen Cuisine Deli & Market, opens for lunch on Thursday, Oct. 29. The space at 807 Patton Ave., which previously housed Nona Mia Market and Deli, now sports a fresh coat of Moroccan red paint while Gypsy Queen Cuisine’s iconic green gypsy smiles down from above the patio awning.
“Once we’re officially open we’ll start parking Spartacus [the nickname of Phillips’ original Gypsy Queen Cuisine food truck] in front so everyone will know exactly where we are,” says Phillips.
Inside, the polished floor and deli cases gleam, while around the warmly colored room, punched tin lamps and a trompe-l’oeil mural create a vision of Lebanon as Phillips remembers it. “I wanted it to look like home.” she says simply. “Patrick Dempsey, the artist, did an amazing job creating that.”
Fans of Phillips’ food truck can expect to find all of their favorites on the menu, including falafel, fattoush, fried cauliflower and shwarmas. But guests can also look forward to the additions of a small Mediterranean market with cheeses and olives, as well as ready-to-eat wraps and seasonal soups. Phillips’s has plans to add more specials, catering and a monthly wine dinner as the business grows.
“I cook with my heart, not a recipe,”says Phillips. “The real challenge has been figuring out how to write it all down and teach it to my staff.”
Her staff is an assembly of trusted colleagues from her years spent in the Asheville food industry. “Like cooking with your friends, for your friends, every day,” she says with a grin.
The deli and cafe will offer counter service with cafe and patio seating for lunch only 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday starting Thursday, Oct. 29. Beginning Monday, Nov. 9, hours will expand to 11 a.m.- 9 a.m. Monday-Saturday with a grand opening planned for Dec. 4. More details can be found at the Gypsy Queen Cuisine Deli & Market website.
