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Community Corner

A Taste of the Mediterranean Right In Our Backyard

Mom's Products, Inc. offers a flavorful array of lighter fare to suite our modest summer appetites.

Warmer weather brings with it a slew of exciting treats. From summer squash and nectarines to plums and ruby-red tomatoes, summer is easily a favorite time of year for produce-lovers.

Oftentimes when warmer weather strikes, we find ourselves craving lighter, smaller fare. A favorite summer “dinner” of mine may consist of hummus, fresh bread or pita, marinated olives and a small mixed green salad (possibly with some fresh Feta cheese on the side). I know what you're thinking and perhaps this isn't exactly the "lightest" of meals, but I blame my olive-and-cheese-loving-palette entirely on my Greek roots. Luckily, I've got the delicious dishes from Mom’s Products, Inc. at the to carry me through the warmer, summer months when I'm craving something flavorful but can't bear the thought of turning on the oven.

Based out of Stanton, California, Mom’s Products, Inc. is owned by Mr. Ben Azouz, who came to this country from Tunisia looking to pursue the infamous “American Dream.”

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“I started like everybody else who first comes to this country,” he humbly explained. “With small jobs—working at pizza places, gas stations, delivering bread.”

It took a great deal of praying and a few good neighbors who agreed to test out Azouz’s hummus recipes for him to finally decide to open his own business.

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“I gave free samples of hummus to my neighbors and they gave me feedback,” he told me. “Especially my wife—she’s a good cook.”

After developing and perfecting several flavors of fresh, homemade hummus (my personal favorites: Chipotle Black Bean and Jalapeño Cilantro), Azouz began selling his dips at farmers’ markets all over Southern California.

In addition to his famous hummus, Azouz also prepares fresh salads, such as the Mediterranean Artichoke Salad with sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, feta cheese and extra virgin olive oil or the Giant Fava Bean Salad with marinated tomatoes and several different herbs and spices. He makes his own pita chips in addition to selling his soft, delicious pita bread. What he doesn’t make himself, he imports from Greece. I think even my yia-yia would agree that Azouz’s Feta cheese is some of the best stuff on this side of the Ionian Sea.

Perhaps the most wonderful aspect of Mom’s Products is that they can be eaten on their own, as an hors d’oeuvre or a snack or incorporated into one of your own dishes as a way to really spice things up. Throw some of Azouz’s marinated fava beans atop your mixed greens or use his imported Feta cheese to spice up an omelet or your scrambled eggs. The hummus, on the other hand, you may want to simply eat straight out of the tub by the spoonful.

Stop by Mom's Products, Inc. this Thursday night to pick up a few tasty Mediterranean/Middle Eastern nibbles and to support another hardworking, unique vendor.

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