Edward Housni has been in Italy for 35 years and 10 years ago he opened a kebab shop in the center of Genoa.
He speaks excellent Italian, and at times it almost seems to hear him with a light and pleasant Genoese accent. He has been adding fish kebab to his menu for a few weeks, today we interviewed him to find out how he is getting on with this new experience.
On the phone he is as welcoming and kind as he is with the customers of his restaurant, the Kebab Il Canneto, one of the best-known kebab shops in the city, right in front of the cathedral, in via San Lorenzo.
Edward, how did you decide to manage the inclusion of fish kebab in your menu?
After various tastings we started introducing the fish kebab twice a week. It's still not very well known and before offering it every night we want to introduce the idea, make it known to people.
September seems like the right time to let the city know what's new, for us this is a time with fewer customers, especially those linked to tourism. At Easter we expect to offer it several times a week when people start to get to know it and when the city fills up with tourists and we are in a very central transit area.
What are the reactions of the Genoese to fish kebab, which come from a traditional fish cuisine that they are certainly very fond of?
The reactions are excellent, the product is very popular. At first, someone may remain between intrigued and suspicious of the novelty. Knowing that the idea comes from an Italian company and that the supplies are also Italian reassures them. But after tasting it, they like it very much and they certainly come back to eat with us. Of course, the Genoese is also a customer who is very attentive to price, like everyone else in this period, but if he eats well he is willing to spend a little more.
How are you moving to promote it in the city?
We take great advantage of our central location. We are in via san Lorenzo, in front of the genoa cathedral. It is an area very popular with both Genoese and citizens and we have an exhibitor outside in both Italian and English. Many are amazed by the news and enter the place curious.
What other products do you offer?
We are a take away place, we have kebabs of various meats, pizza, Genoese focaccia, artisanal felafel, vegetarian dishes, then on order we can also prepare typical dishes of Syrian cuisine. Our particularity are the sauces, they are all made by us and go very well with both meat and fish. We have the cream of garlic and lemon, of sesame.
We distinguish ourselves in the offer from the other kebab shops in the city. The meat and fish are always fresh, which is why our prices are higher than usual. A meat kebab costs 5 euros, a fish kebab 6.50. But even the customer who pays more attention to spending is willing to spend a few euros more when he is satisfied with the freshness of the food and the special features we offer.
How did you find the Fishkebab machine?
Perfect! I can only be happy with the food machines, I use them a lot, every day, just keep them clean, they need very little maintenance and work perfectly. The kebaby, patatwist, and also the fishkebab.
The fishkebab machine designed by Techfood has a closed rotisserie equipped with tempered glass. This allows for hygienic cooking and avoids heat dispersion into the environment . Furthermore, a system for recirculating and treating the burnt gases avoids the need for evacuation and filtration systems for cooking fumes, ie the flue, improving the livability of the environment for customers and workers. For cooking kebabs without unpleasant odors or large investments in ventilation systems. You can read the story of the collaboration between Techfood and Eataly which led to the birth of the GHIROTTO machine.
If you also propose innovations in your menu, write to us and tell them here in the comments. And if you pass by Genoa, go and try the fish kebab offered by Edward.