An Italian immigrant who came to America around the beginning of the 20th century likely encouraged his children to assimilate. It was the era of Ellis Island and mass migration. His children assimilated, but they also forgot their parents’ language and culture.
The U.S. is now in the midst of another mass immigration wave. According to a 2009 Pew Hispanic Center study, 12.5 percent of America’s population is foreign-born, the highest level it’s been in a century.
Today’s immigrants also encourage their children to assimilate, but what separates the current era of mass migration from the last one is that the nation now prizes multiculturalism as a fundamental American value. This enables the children of immigrants to more easily hold on to their parents’ language and culture while assimilating.
And what that means for the longtime burghers of Prospect Heights is food—ethnic food in a restaurant scene as dynamic as the arriving immigrants.
Some of these ethnic restaurants use imported ingredients from their homeland and serve food exactly like in its country of origin; others adapt their ingredients to fit local availability but use authentic cooking methods; and some use authentic ingredients but repackage their food for a wider audience.
Four restaurants—the Middle Eastern Zaytoons, the Korean Kimchi Grill and the Italian establishments Aliseo Osteria Del Borgo and Amorina—show how these trends cross national boundaries in ways that reflect how immigrant chefs may have more that unites them in their new country than separates them.
Each of their owners emigrated to the U.S. or has foreign-born parents. Ahmad Samhan, co-owner of Zaytoons, was born in Palestine and came to America as a child. Faried Assad, the restaurant’s other co-owner, is a first generation Palestinian-American. They have three Zaytoons locations in Brooklyn, including one at 594 Vanderbilt Avenue.
Phillip Lee emigrated from Korea as a child. He is co-owner of the food truck sensation Kimchi Taco, and around late October he plans on opening his first restaurant location on Washington Avenue.
All three of these men grew up eating their parents’ traditional food and speaking their native language at home.
“A lot of Korean parents they try to encourage the kids, take the approach to only speak English so they can learn English faster and be good in English. Or some parents take the other approach, which is to try to not speak English, try to teach their native tongue because they realize they will speak English eventually,” said Lee.
Lee’s parents also sent him to Taekwondo school. He credits all of these efforts to the strong connection he has to Korean culture as an adult.
Lee and Samhan also believe that growing up in the city helped them maintain their heritage.
Albano Ballerini didn’t grow up in New York City, but emigrated there as an adult to work as a photographer. Later he switched careers and opened two restaurants, Aliseo Osteria Del Borgo and Amorina, both on Vanderbilt Avenue.
Unlike many of the earlier Italian immigrants, Ballerini doesn’t come from the south. He is from Le Marche, a region in central Italy.
Ballerini also distinguishes himself from those immigrants in another way. They came to America out of poverty and need. “I was very comfortable in Italy. I didn’t come here out of necessity. Italy was too small for me. That’s all, ” he said. Ballerini doesn’t even call himself an immigrant, but rather an “ex-patriot.”
With his new career, Ballerini shares his native Italy through his cooking methods and seasonal ingredients.
Unlike Ballerini, Samhan and Assad use mainly imported ingredients. In Brooklyn there are many wholesalers who sell the ingredients they need, which allows them to keep it authentic.
Yet the majority of Zaytoons’ customers are non-Arabs. This fact doesn’t surprise Samhan: “That’s why there’s so many ethnic restaurants throughout not just Brooklyn but throughout New York City. Everybody should try something once, and if they like it, they come back and order different things on the menu,” he said.
Like Samhan, Ballerini can easily find Italian ingredients, however, he finds that it’s more authentically Italian to buy local ones. Many of Italy’s traditional dishes rely heavily on fresh local food. Most of his ingredients come from within a 100-mile radius.
Each week Ballerini visits the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket, near his restaurant, and the Union Square Greenmarket in Manhattan. Instead of using only imported Italian formaggio, 50 percent of his cheese is from local artisanal makers.
Phillip Lee uses the same ingredients and cooking techniques from his native Korea, but the name of his food truck sounds more like a trendy fusion eatery than an authentic Korean one.
Its Kim-Cheesesteak comes with a choice of Cheese Whiz or provolone and is served on an Italian hoagie roll. But the filling, beef, pork or chicken, is marinated in Korean flavors and sautéed with kimchi.
Korean food has been around for a long time, but has never taken off like other Asian fare. Lee’s business markets Korean food to Americans in a less intimidating way.
“Part of it was the cuisine itself and how the Koreans marketed and really didn’t want to change it to accommodate the palate of Americans,” said Lee. “I want everyone to sort of taste how great Korean food is,” he continued.
Although they tweak the food, many of the ingredients are exactly what are used at a traditional restaurant he explained. “It’s sort of like what you would call the packaging part of it [that’s different]. ”
Some criticize Lee and Ballerini for straying from authenticity, but like many of today’s immigrants, their food can assimilate without losing its native culture.
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