Across the U.S., the Mediterranean restaurant market exceeded $34 billion in 2025*, and our hometown reflects that momentum. From bustling cafés and bakeries to new restaurant concepts, Columbus is bursting with flavors rooted in Mediterranean and West Asian traditions. These food businesses tell stories. Stories of families from West Asia, North Africa, Türkiye, and of local diners seeking a taste of home or eager to experience authentic, diverse cuisines.

Join us for Seed to Menu on January 28 for a working session designed to turn our shared knowledge and resources into action. Together, we’ll explore new ways to expand menus, deepen our culinary culture, and strengthen community connections. We're going to follow up on 5 group projects focused on Middle Eastern Foodways, that came out of the Soil to Souq working session on September 19th, and chart what's next. 

The Middle East Studies Center is hosting this event for local community members who appreciate the special ingredients, cultural practices, and culinary repertoires that create Middle Eastern food, also known as foodways. The purpose of holding this event and others like it is to expand opportunities to learn, share and sustain foodways. By sparking and supporting sustained collaborations these events serve as a platform for community engagement. 

Each opportunity looks different, depending on its target audience and who takes the lead on it. The commonality is the foodways that make Middle Eastern cuisine what it is. Its ingredients, cultural practices, and the stories they carry. Each gathering has a different focus but is structured to promote collaborative action. Actions are shaped by their participants—educators, chefs, restaurateurs, cultural advocates, and foodies.

People brought their kids last time, and we encourage you to bring your kids and any other family members you think might be interested. We are looking at this from a long-term, intergenerational strengthening of our local food sources and a cultural exchange of foodways knowledge and experience. 

Please join us! Whether you have a professional interest or simply a passion for Middle Eastern food, we need your gifts. Register to save your seat. 

This session is part of the Seeds of Culture Project, which supports food sovereignty and authentic foodways. To learn more, join our nas.io community or contact us directly at mesc.osu.edu/contact.

Thanks to Urban Farm Church for hosting, to Third Floor Design for their coaching on the Pathways design of these sessions, to All THAT for their foodways education collaboration, to Ubuntu Urban Farm Market and Vincent Walters Urban Farm for their gardening collaboration, and to the Office of Outreach and Engagement at Ohio State University for their financial support and numerous valuable resources. 

* www.ibisworld.com/united-states/industry/mediterranean-restaurants/6342/