Toledo is replete with immigrant culture. It surfaces in our churches, mosques, groceries, restaurants, events and festivals. And in a time when immigration is a hot-button issue, entire weekends in our city are dedicated to ethnic celebration—not a summer Saturday goes by in NW Ohio without commemoration of an immigrant culture. Ethnic diversity is woven into the fabric of our city.
Beneath that fabric are core threads of businesses and families that have added more than just cultural diversity to our city’s tapestry. These business owners have grown Toledo, adding to our employment and strengthening the foundation of the local base, acting as leaders in the city and in their industries. They have done more than just make a living here; they have invested in our community, making it richer with both their native heritage and individual innovation.
The following four businesses, now multi-generational, have transcended their small, neighborhood status to become regional and even international in their reach. Yet, their roots lie here in our city and they are remembered for those roots. These immigrants came to Toledo to create better lives for themselves. They stayed to build a better community for all of us.
Photos by MichaelNemeth.com
Sofo Foods/Sofo’s Italian Market
Antonio Sofo left Bagnara, Italy at age 14 and sailed to New York City with one thing on his mind: making a better life. He shoveled coal for the E.W. Bliss Company, a manufacturer of machine tools in Brooklyn, worked hard to get himself established, and married an Italian woman, Carmela. When the New York factory closed, the family moved to work in one of the company’s Toledo facilities in the 1940’s.
After their son returned from the war in Korea, the family took a risk. Longing for native Italian meats and cheeses, they decided to procure Italian imports from Detroit and bring them back to Toledo. The popularity of those epicurean delicacies morphed into Sofo’s first storefront, located in the 3200 block of Monroe Street near the Toledo Museum of Art. The product base was simple: quality imported hams, meats, cheeses and olive oils. Antonio manned the store, son Joe drove the truck for deliveries; Carmela, who spoke very little English, ran the register.
Now in its third generation, Sofo Foods is no longer a simple mom-and-pop operation. “My dad worked with Joe,” says Sofo’s Marketing Specialist Angie Rombach. “I worked at the retail store in high school and have been with Sofo Foods for 25 years.” The specialty market at 5400 Monroe St. is only a small part of their current business. Sofo’s is now one of the largest ethnic food distributors in the Midwest, with distribution centers located in Toledo as well as Indiana, Georgia, and Texas. Sofo Foods has more than 350 employees and its own brands of specialty imported and domestic products.
The company has long-reaching community roots as well. It is a major supporter of The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, Helping Hands of St. Louis, and the Make A Wish Foundation. Sofo Foods puts an emphasis on food charities as well, including the Cherry Street Mission and the NW Ohio Food Bank.
Magic Wok
Sutas Pipatjarasgit came to New York from Thailand in 1968 with $300. His road to franchise success didn’t start at his first Magic Wok. He started cooking in a restaurant in New York while he also tended bar, drove a taxi, and worked in a factory. When he decided to raise a family, he moved to southeast Michigan and made several attempts to start restaurants.
With a solid desire to own his own business, he partnered locally to open Gourmet of China here in Toledo. Although successful, Sutas had a vision to open a restaurant where fast, healthy entrees were prepared in an open kitchen design. When he sold his half of that restaurant, he took the money and invested in the first Magic Wok in Toledo, which opened in 1983 in the food court of Franklin Park Mall. When he opened his second location, complete with a drive-through, his pattern of success was set.
Not satisfied with just the Magic Wok concept, the family has taken advantage of other opportunities. “Tropical Grill and Juices started when space opened up in the Franklin Park mall,” said Tommy Pipatjarasgit, who has owned and operated the stores since 2000. “We had the idea of serving healthy wraps and smoothies with the motto of ‘eat healthy, live happy.’” A second Grill is now open in Taylor, MI and smoothies are now sold at all Magic Wok locations as well.
One of their innovative concepts is serving school lunches. “We currently serve a handful of schools,” said Tommy. The lunches are parent-funded and provide a range of menu choices including their famous egg rolls a la carte. “We’ve been doing it for more than 15 years and the kids love it.”
The Magic Wok now has eight locations in Toledo, two in Michigan, and three internationally in Bahrain.
The Beirut
The Beirut may not have the national TV sitcom reputation of some local eateries, but to Toledo residents it is equally beloved. Labib Hajjar came from Lebanon to the states go to school and study agriculture. His intention was to go into farming, but he found his way to Toledo less grandly, in 1974. “I got lost on the way to Cleveland. There wasn’t an exit to the turnpike yet,” he remarked.
His cousin was an engineer and invented a special oven to make pita bread. Together, they started Beirut Bakery, that also sold Mediterranean dishes to go. Labib bought the restaurant from a previous owner that had been a bakery customer, and established his first eatery. “I loved that place,” he said, fondly.
Established in 1977 under joint ownership of Labib Hajjar and Riad Abou-Arraj, Beirut Bakery moved from its original 86-seat location at 4040 Monroe St. to its current location, a 200-seat facility. Beirut Restaurant remains a regional favorite.
In 1989 Byblos was opened on Reynolds as a partnership within the family. By 2002, Labib opened the original Poco Piatti on Monroe Street as well, hoping to serve health-conscious menu choices in small, sharable portions. In 2006, Labib’s son Elias, who studied hospitality management at Ohio State University, opened Poco Piatti in its current location at Levis Commons in Perrysburg.
The Beirut is a strong local charity supporter including Share Our Strength Taste of the Nation, ProMedica charities, and is the major benefactor of the Red Cross Oscar Night fundraiser. “We support many local schools as well,” Labib stated. “This is our home.”
Labib shares his praise. “I cannot say enough about the people who work with us,” he claimed proudly. “My wife Karyn, my partner Riad, Elias, Hussein and Don . . . between us, we have over 200 years of experience in our kitchen.” That experience shows—The Beirut received the Best Ethnic Restaurant in Ohio Award in 2012.
Investor, Islamic Center of Greater Toledo
Many immigrants have a long trail to Toledo. John Shousher’s father came to America from Lebanon in 1902, fleeing the general pre-war turmoil in the Middle East and Europe at that time. It was not unusual for whole families to split up and travel across the Atlantic, coming through Argentina, Mexico, Cuba and New York. John’s father came to America and moved to Montana, where he was a railroad worker. Making his way across the country, members of his family finally settled here in Toledo. While working the railroad, Shousher’s father served briefly in the National Guard during WWI. John, now 86, and his brother ran a real estate investment company and J-S Vending here in the city.
What’s most compelling about Shousher’s journey is his absolute dedication to cultural diversity. He was one of the founders of the first mosque in Toledo, established in 1954 on East Bancroft St. He has served as a site administrator, public relations representative, and fund-raiser in the Muslim community for many years.
In 1978, after membership growth stretched the E. Bancroft facility to the limit, Shousher helped secure and plan the 48-acre campus that has become one of the icons of Perrysburg Township: the mosque and Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, as opened in 1983. The Center has been a staple of the Muslim and Interfaith communities ever since, working to promote freedom of religion. “We try to promote mutual understanding of our cultures and foster acceptance of our differences,” Shousher said.
This is no small task, and Shousher has been tireless in his efforts. His work as a Multifaith and Multi-Cultural Ambassador was recognized when he became a 2013 inductee into the Heroes of Compassion Gallery for Toledo. Shousher’s long-standing work has also been passed along to his children, who remain well-rooted in the city. His son Hussein is an engineer and president of GEM, Inc.; his son Mo, now deceased, was a well-known lawyer and constant voice on Toledo’s WIOT for more than 30 years. Hussein has three daughters; Lila, Mona and Mariam, all of them employed in Toledo.
John is very interested in fostering and sustaining community understanding. “I have 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren,” he proudly claimed. “We have to stop hate. That is the only way we can live comfortably with our family, our children, our grandchildren, and our neighbors,” he said.
