Page 14 - LRCC July 2025 Focus

INTERNATIONAL

FLAVORS OF LANSING

Region’s Restaurants Boast Diverse Tastes

By Jennifer McEntee

Choose Lansing

IF YOU’RE TO VISIT and satisfying. “I

SIRAJ RESTAURANT make good food.”

on South Waverly Road in Lansing, you’ll likely be It’s a family business
met with the enticing aromas of chicken shawarma, staffed entirely by
falafel, or lamb kabob, freshly baked pita bread, or even Eshkuntana’s kin,
za’atar manakish, a traditional flatbread coated with including three sons. Eshkuntana
thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds. He’d like to hire more
people— and he
Behind the counter, you might meet owner Khaled made a brief attempt
Eshkuntana, an entrepreneur who can suggest which at opening a second Lansing location— but running a
menu item might sate your cravings for Middle small business in the current economy is difficult.
Eastern cuisine.
“The business is not easy,” Eshkuntana said. “Everything
What you might not get from this encounter is the is just slow. The grocery prices go up.”
extraordinary means by which this authentic fare has
made its way to a shopping center on the southwest Eshkuntana said he and his family are happy to
side of Lansing. Eshkuntana and his family fled Jordan in have settled in Lansing, where opportunity abounds.
2012 amid political and economic unrest. They resettled They are just one of many immigrant families who
in Lansing with the help of Catholic Charities of Ingham, have brought their unique flavors to the Lansing
Eaton, and Clinton Counties. region, making it a fortuitous culinary destination for
international cuisine.
Eshkuntana and his family were able to open their halal-
style restaurant here in 2018, bringing a taste of their home MELTING POT
to the community that welcomed them. Siraj is derived
from the Arabic word “siraaj,” meaning lamp or torch. Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton
Counties has been helping refugees resettle in the
“I opened the restaurant because I like to help the Lansing region for about 50 years, with services
community,” Eshkuntana said in a recent interview with including employment assistance, financial literacy
FOCUS magazine, explaining that his dishes are healthy classes, and connections to community resources.

14 FOCUS MAGAZINE | JULY 2025