Celiacs love the
gluten-free options at
Union Smoke Shop’s
panini bar
By Louise Rachlis
A couple of months ago, an American staying at the nearby Days Inn came into Union Smoke Shop to use the telephone.
He ended up chatting with employees Barb and Dana, and bought a few things.
Shortly afterwards, the store received a package in the mail addressed to the two women. It was a $20 gift card and a thank you from the man which said his visit to the shop was the highlight of his trip to Ottawa.
That kind of personal service is a regular occurrence at the Haddad family business in the Constitution Building at 307 Rideau Street near King Edward.
A staple of the downtown area for nearly 30 years, Union Smoke Shop specializes in cigars and tobacco products along with one of the biggest magazine displays in the city. There’s a dry cleaning depot, and a long standing downtown barber, Bernie Proulx. There are also traditional convenience store items from greeting cards to batteries and combination locks.
Because it’s a government building, and a busy downtown area, there are lots of regular customers who are very loyal.
“When I look at my sales at the end of the day, it’s pretty consistent – a little bit of everything,” says owner Eddie Haddad, 43, who took a round-about route to get back to his retail roots.
Originally from Lebanon, his parents owned “Ottawa South Groceteria” at Bank St. and Sunnyside for 27 years. When they left, there was a goodbye party from the neighborhood and a gift painting of the store. Haddad still runs into people today he knew from growing up in that store.
After high school, he attended Algonquin College for computers, worked in Australia, came back and purchased a wagon to sell frozen yogurt all over Ottawa. He sold that, bought a business with his mother selling Middle Eastern fruit at Esplanade Laurier for five years, then took another computer program at CDI College while working at his parents’ restaurant the Big H at Hawthorne and Stevenage.
He then got became a systems administrator at National Defence, working at the restaurant at night until it was sold a few months later.
He met his wife Renee on a DND “Disaster Recovery” workshop in Toronto where there were 35 men and just two women. There were married four years ago. The couple has two boys, 12 and four, and are expecting their third child in September.
When Haddad heard about the opportunity to get back in the family business, he decided to get back to his roots, buying the business in January, 2010.
He and his wife added a panini bar to the 2,500 sq. ft. space in May, 2010. “We do all our food ourselves. We don’t do anything outside,” he says.
“We really do care. We had a suggestion box the first six months to give customers a chance to speak about the food they wanted, such as higher end coffee, or products they wanted us to stock.”
His deli take out counter serves grilled sandwiches, and fresh soup and salads. And as well as food for the general public, they also have food for those on a gluten-free or dairy-free diet.
“My wife and younger sister worked to develop the sandwich variety, toppings and paninis,” says Haddad. “This past fall we introduced the gluten free sandwiches because my older son was diagnosed with gluten allergy and is being tested for celiac.” The food area is called Nini’s Panini Bar, named after the childhood nickname of Eddie’s wife Renee.
“We can’t have seating because of our landlord, Public Works,” he says, “but that shouldn’t stop you from having the best panini in the world.”
Most sandwiches can be made gluten -free or dairy-free, including Hawaiian Sunrise Panini, spicy Ring of Fire Panini, Mini Meatball Panini and lots more. And how about the “Figticious Wrap” consisting of greens, with figs, dried apricot, sugared pecans, goat cheese mix with maple balsamic dressing wrapped in a flour tortilla.
“When our lease expires in two years, we’d really like to open a place that can provide seating,” he says, “and to offer many more truly gluten-free options.”
Union Smoke Shop is open Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed Sundays.
For more information, call 613-789-0533 or e-mail ninipaninibar-unionsmokeshop@yahoo.ca
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