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Green Light From 20 years of Fire Food & Drink to the markets of Israel, Zhug is the culmination of chef Douglas Katz's journey.
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he journey changes you. The road winds. The scenery evolves. Sometimes there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes a freight train. For restaurateur Douglas Katz, it was the latter. For 20 years, he earned acclaim for his flagship restaurant Fire Food & Drink in Shaker Square as well as Chutney B., a gluten-free stall in Van Aken Market Hall, and Fire Spice Co., a chef-driven home cooking concept that produced recipe and spice boxes. By 2021, the pandemic had forced Katz to close them all. Chimi, a South American ghost-kitchen; the forthcoming Amba, the Hingetown Indian spot set to open any day; and Zhug, a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern small plates eatery in Cleveland Heights which opened and closed throughout the pandemic, remained. “Fire was my baby,” Katz says of the fine-dining spot that treated the kitchen like a stage with an audience of hungry onlookers. “But it was also 20 years of research and development for what I’m doing now.” The experience at Fire Food & Drink centered around a tandoor oven, that circular heat source often seen with pita or naan bread slapped against the side. The format 38
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of the restaurant allowed Katz to experiment with the Indian food that has us so excited for Amba and the Middle Eastern cuisine that inspired greatness in Zhug. His other projects informed Zhug, too. While he says it “was a dumb idea because people don’t want to cook at home,” Fire Spice Co. was an adventure through the intricate world of global spices, including those that are now essential to Amba and Zhug such as sumac and curry. Meanwhile, the Thai- and Indian-leaning Chutney B. is where he honed his recipe for zhug — the spicy, chutney-style hot sauce, not the restaurant. He knew the blend of fresh cilantro, lemon and serrano chilies was powerful enough to be a centerpiece. “If you love spice, if you love aromatics, this is the element that goes on your hummus, your bread, your rice, your shrimp,” he says. “It’s a condiment that just brings us over the top.” Still, he wanted to dive deeper. So, in November 2018, Katz and business partner Todd Thompson took a At Cleveland Heights' food-focused trip Zhug, meld spicy, to the Holy Land savory Mediterranean as research for mezze to build the Zhug. perfect bite. The markets of Israel are disorienting, colorful and inspiring. Vendors scream over honking taxi cabs, blaring Mizrahi music and murmuring crowds to draw you into veggie stands or let you know your shawarma is ready. As you stroll the modern metropolis of Tel Aviv or the ancient cobblestone streets of Jerusalem, colorful market halls with dozens of tiny eateries appear seemingly out of nowhere like you’ve stepped through the magic brick walls of Harry Potter. Vivid and vibrant dishes are held by thin sheets of serving paper. For Thompson and Katz, it was a brainstorm of typhonic proportions. “We had 10 to 12 experiences a day that were mind blowing,” says Katz. “There was so much excitement about food.” They returned with an iPhone full of inspiration. Hummus. Eggplant spreads. Mejadra, an onion and lentil dish. Olives, feta and spices. Colorful plates and décor. An open kitchen with a stylish cocktail bar. World music and natural light that bounce off tall ceilings above a
BY DILLON STEWART
PHOTOS BY CAROLINA KANE
