RHINEBECK ACCIDENTAL EATERY
The owners of Aba’s Falafel say they didn’t mean to be restaurateurs
Cathy and Roy Naor may not have culinary training, but they know good food.
And that is evident in every dish the couple serves up at Aba’s Falafel on East Market Street in the village.
On a recent weekday afternoon, the couple and their employees served falafel-based dishes to a steady flow of customers in their restaurant. Each falafel was made fresh to order and served in homemade pitas or on plates. At times, the falafel balls were served with roasted eggplant, potato and other ingredients to make a Sabeech dish. And, sometimes, they joined generous servings of hummus or different salads and tahini.
“We didn’t mean to be restaurateurs,” Cathy Naor said of the couple’s lunch spot. She said she and her husband moved to Rhinebeck from Israel in 2005, and, a few years later, decided to sell falafel at the farmers market “just for fun.”
The Naors started offering falafel at the farmers market in Woodstock in 2009 because the Rhinebeck event was already full that year. And what started off as an every-other-week venture soon turned into a weekly one during the market season. More farmers markets were added, as well as some fairs.
The restaurant, which is open from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily,
came about when the couple began looking for a larger kitchen space where they could prepare for their markets and fairs.
“Originally we were looking for a bigger kitchen,” Cathy Naor said. “We actually kind of already paid a month’s rent on another kitchen out of town because we just wanted a bigger space to prep for the markets. And, suddenly, we saw that this building was for rent.”
She added that, because the kitchen was right in the middle of Rhinebeck, they thought it would be a good idea to also sell their falafels there. And that added income helps pay for the rent on their kitchen space, Cathy Naor said.
With the restaurant, which opened in July 2017, the Aba’s Falafels menu expanded a bit, Cathy Naor added. She said the menu includes hot soups in the winter and cold ones in the summer, as well as Turkish coffee, hot almond tea, homemade baklava and Roy’s special lemonade made with anise.
Roy Naor said the restaurant also serves up its different sauces, which includes a garlic cilantro sauce and a mango curry sauce called Amba. There are also homemade pickles available, he said.
And if you forgo the pita, everything served at Aba’s Falafel is gluten-free, Cathy Naor said. It is all also vegan, she said, noting that her family has been vegan for about eight years.
As for the falafel recipe they use, the couple said they started with 10 different ones they found online and tweaked them a bit, paring the list down to two options. They then had a party for friends where the different falafels were sampled and the favorite one was chosen to be served to the public.
Roy Naor said most falafels use some kind of binder to hold their shape, but Aba’s Falafels do not.
The falafel balls come out of the fryer, crispy and dark. When they are broken open, though, they have a vibrant green color from the cilantro mixed with the chickpeas and other ingredients.
The Naors said they use high-end and local ingredients in all their foods. And, while the ingredients’ list is simple, the food packs a lot of flavor.
Cathy Naor said people think she is a chef, but she just likes to eat.
“I’m a good eater,” Cathy Naor said. “I know what I like. We made the falafels exactly how I like them.”
For more information, visit www.abasfalafel.com.