by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
This is the story of a business that has been so successful it has two Downtown locations.
The first Akel’s Delicatessen in Jacksonville opened in 1992. The name first went on a restaurant Downtown in 2008, on the first floor of the JEA Building on West Church Street. Two of the people who helped make the dozens of egg sandwiches and tubs of tabouli, Paul and Tanya Ganim, are now feeding hungry office and construction workers at 315 W. Forsyth St., around the corner from the new Duval County Courthouse. Their restaurant is one of four Akel’s delis in Jacksonville.
The space across Forsyth Street from AT&T Tower 301 has been the location for “about eight coffee shops in the past five years,” said Paul Ganim. Now there’s a complete breakfast and lunch menu, plus a catering service.
He’s a former middle school teacher and mortgage broker who discovered the restaurant business when he married Tanya, the daughter of Isaac Akel, the oldest of three brothers who started the family business in New York City and later moved it to Jacksonville. Her mother and brother run Akel’s at the JEA Building.
The Ganims moved to Jacksonville from North Carolina so their children could be closer to their grandparents. They worked in the original Downtown location until they decided to break out on their own, operating Akel’s in Baymeadows until they moved back Downtown almost a year ago.
“We like this much better than being in the suburbs. Downtown has a real family atmosphere,” said Paul Ganim.
While the layout of each location depends on the space available, the menu at all four delis is consistent, as is the philosophy.
“We put a fresh twist on old-fashioned New York subs and sandwiches by adding healthy vegetables and other ingredients,” he said.
The menu offers breakfast sandwiches made with egg whites, several low fat salads and Akel’s “veggieterranean” creations, two of which were inspired by the Ganims’ daughters.
“A lot of our customers are judges and attorneys and executives. They tend to be very health conscious,” said Paul Ganim.
Items on the other end of the healthy spectrum like French toast and biscuits and gravy for breakfast and Philly cheesesteak and grilled Monte Cristo sandwiches for lunch are also on the menu.
Tanya Ganim said her father, who died six months ago, told the couple that a block from the new courthouse was the best place Downtown to open a delicatessen.
“He was the godfather of us all and he told us to get this location. I never realized how hard he worked until I started doing it,” she said.
The Ganims agreed that they have found their life’s work.
“We love feeding people. It’s fun to see them walk in the door hungry, leave happy and know they’ll come back,” they said.
Akel’s on Forsyth Street is open 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday. Call 309-8889 for takeout and catering. To see the full menu, visit www.akelsdeli.com.
356-2466
Akel’s “Veggieterranean”
• The Alexis: a spread of hummus with cucumbers and feta cheese.
• Leena’s Oasis: a spread of hummus with tabouli, lettuce and tomato.
• Veggie Log: feta cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, black olives, cucumbers, spinach, oregano and oil & vinegar.