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MADISON
Asheville Citizen Times
MARS HILL - Since moving full-time to Marshall in June, Julia Zarhan has experienced a lot in her less than one year living in Madison County.
Zarhan, 39, is of Lebanese descent and was born in Brazil before moving to New Jersey at 9 years old. Zarhan's mother is a caterer and studied at the French Institute of New York.
Zarhan graduated from Fordham University with a degree in French literature, but then went down a similar path as her mother, and studied at Culinary Institute of America.
Zarhan and her partner, John Harvey, 40, assumed ownership of Marshall's Main Street Cafe in March 2024. Just six months later, the restaurant was decimated by Helene.
"We were devastated," Zahran said. "We were happy to kind of keep on going with what the community was used to, and wanted. But then everything was washed away."
Harvey owned a fish market for four years, and has worked in restaurants for roughly 15 years. For Harvey and Zahran, even in the midst of Helene's destruction, they never stopped doing what they love: cooking for others.
They opened up their Marshall home to six of their friends whose homes were impacted by Helene.
"We would cook these enormous dinners together, and we'd joke about how Main Street Cafe has moved up onto Coates Road," Zarhan said. "And now here we are."
The couple found out about the Mars Hill space while on a coffee trip in the town, and Zahran said it "was a no-brainer," and said they're really excited to be in Mars Hill.
The Mars Hill Kitchen and Market affords Zahran the opportunity for a clean slate, she said.
"This is our chance to do the menu that we want to do, and build a space that reflects us," Zarhan said. "Everywhere that I've worked and different things that I've done have allowed me to create this. This is what I've always wanted. This is the one that I really felt like this is what I wanted to do."
Mars Hill Kitchen serves brunch and breakfast exclusively on weekends, and serves lunch starting at 10 a.m. on weekdays.
The restaurant is currently open Wednesday through Sunday, but Zahran said she hopes to be open six days a week by this spring.
Zahran said she's always been really passionate about food because it brings people together, adding that she has aimed to provide a tasty yet eclectic menu.
"We want people to feel encouraged to try new things," she said.
In addition to New Jersey and Brazil, Zahran has lived in Austin, Texas; Seattle; Germany; and France.
"What I really want to do is just incorporate a little bit of everything. We have our fresh-made biscuits and gravy, but then we have our smoked salmon. We really want to show people an eclectic way of living and eating that can be exciting, even if it's not all that complicated. All of our food has real, raw, great ingredients."
The current brunch menu includes a Belgian waffle and whipped cream, eggs Benedict, smoked salmon, dill, capers, yogurt and red onion on sourdough toast, biscuits, grits and housemade granola, among others.
There are vegetarian and vegan options as well, Zahran said.
"We've incorporated some Mediterranean and Italian-style sandwiches from our roots in New Jersey," Zarhan said. "Our salads are a combination of a lot of things that we like to eat, that are delicious and fresh."
Market
The "market" component of Mars Hill Kitchen and Market showcases Zarhan's other interests, including books, clothing, candles and other home goods. Zarhan worked in fashion design for 15 years.
"I had my own shop for three years, and I was working with sustainability and environmentally conscious designers, and I wanted to bring that to this space," she said. "So that's why we have this shop."
The space also features a deli, including house-cured salmon, prosciutto and salami.
The market offers frozen dinners and soups, as well.
"We're hoping to really expand that, and have people stop in for something to go," Zahran said.
After all her travels, Zahran said she's at the point now where she's ready to settle in Marshall.
"I really just want to pour out what I know, and that's what's inspiring me to write a book right now," she said. "I've tasted a lot of different foods. I've made a lot of different foods. I want to share that."
Like so many other Madison County artists and creators, Zahran is a "Jill of all trades."
Feeling rooted in Madison County, she has identified a number of goals she'd like to realize while operating Mars Hill Kitchen and Market.
She said she'd like to form a collective with local business owners, and would love to write a cookbook.
Zahran said she'd also love to eventually team up with other local businesses to continue to build the business and offer larger-scale catering.
"John and I, we've both been in the food industry in and out for a really long time, and we're both really passionate about healthy, wholesome, local produce, farm-to-table," Zahran said. "He gets really into fun sandwiches, including crazy triple-decker sandwiches. He's bringing a Cuban sandwich onto the menu (Feb. 12).
"We both cook what we eat."
Fighting back tears, in a discussion with The News-Record & Sentinel, Zahran said the past few months after Helene have been difficult.
"To be totally honest, I've been through a lot," she said. "I'm at a point in my life where I just want to jump in. I've been very excited about being a business owner since I first started in 2013.
"I've learned that, at the end of the day, if you open it, people will come. It's really inspiring to feed people. John and I have always brought people over and invited people over for dinner."
So far, the community's feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far, according to Zahran.
"It often brings me to tears to think about what happened down in Marshall, and everything we went through there," Zarhan said. "To be able to have this opportunity to start fresh is really exciting, and we hope it inspires other people to do the same."
Johnny Casey is the Madison County communities reporter for The News-Record & Sentinel. He can be reached at 828-210-6071 or [email protected].
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