Albanian-Americans and the 'wild' food restaurant

2024-10-20 22:45:00, Aktualitet CNA

At the 'Honey Badger' restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, Albanian-American Fjolla Sheholli and her husband, American entrepreneur Junayd Juman, offer a menu of wild foods and organic produce from local farmers. As the correspondent of the Voice of America, Burim Goxhuli, announces, the couple aims to make customers aware of the importance of natural foods and care for the environment.

There are thousands of restaurants in New York, some of which are the most famous in the world. In this sector, getting critical acclaim is not easy.

'Honey Badger' stands out among this crowd of restaurants for the special menu it offers.

For nearly 10 years, this Brooklyn neighborhood restaurant has served wild produce—all-natural meats, vegetables, and fruits—grown by small local farmers along the northeastern line of the United States, from the mountains of Maine to the mountains of Pennsylvania.

The restaurant is run by the entrepreneur Fjolla Sheholli, who came from Kosovo to the United States 21 years ago, and by her husband, the American entrepreneur from Trinidad, Junayd Juman.

Albanian-Americans and the 'wild' food restaurant

Ms. Sheholli explains to the Voice of America that her passion for wild foods is related to her childhood, but also to the difficult situation of families in Kosovo in the 90s.

"After everyone left their jobs, we were forced to either leave the country, or find ourselves in different forms. The challenges we have had have forced us to produce everything from scratch. To grow cheese, butter and meat so that we have supplies throughout the year. We always went hunting, fishing, we collected mushrooms and everything from the mountain", says Ms. Sheholli.

Mrs. Sheholli's husband also says that eating food grown in nature is a tradition in his family.

“In Trinidad we eat wild foods. We have farms, but we also have the jungle and its products. So wild foods are part of our culture. Some of the best foods in the world are wild fish, compared to farmed fish. Then, the minerals you can find in wild products are not comparable to other products", says Mr. Juman.

Albanian-Americans and the 'wild' food restaurant

At the 'Honey Badger' restaurant, customers cannot order a specific meal, but can enjoy 10 to 18 different dishes offered by the seasonal menu, inspired by the diet of the indigenous American tribes and combined with modern world cuisine.

“A lot of our food is about wellness. Not only the taste, salty or sweet, but also the feeling you experience after you finish eating. A burger at the airport is the worst thing you can do to yourself. The way the animal is treated by the farmer matters. Meat from factory animals is slave meat," says Mr. Juman.

Ms. Sheholli says the ingredients in her dishes were once used as medicine by Native American tribes, but today, she adds, they are hard to find on the market.

"American Indians have always been very connected to nature. Everything is related to the shape of the moon. It is very true that when the moon is full things happen much differently. This is also reflected in the diversity of nature's products. The entire culture of Native Americans is based on the Moon. In fact, the foods they used have healing ingredients. For example, you take this because you feel like it. Another product is good for something else," says Ms. Sheholli.

Albanian-Americans and the 'wild' food restaurant

'Honey Badger' is supplied by three fishermen, five hunters and 27 farmers who collect mountain products. In this restaurant, the appearance of the dish is also important.

"Each dish should be tasty and beautiful. Have a great story behind you that you can relate to. Many of our dishes are related to our childhood and memories of the magic of food. I think chefs are the ultimate magicians. We take wild ingredients from nature and transform it into something beautiful for you to eat," says Mr. Juman.

Ms. Sheholli says that 'Honey Badger' is not only a business, but also a mission to make people aware of the importance of eating natural products.

"Farmers have taken a very different path than in the 80s. What we consume today, we don't know where it comes from. The deeper I got (into studies), I realized that even diseases and everything we are facing comes from consuming foods that we don't know where they come from," says Ms. Sheholli.

Ms. Sheholli says unhealthy practices and industrial agriculture are exacerbating global warming and threatening the planet by poisoning the soil and air.