Homewood’s ethnic markets: Constantine International Foods

Food can lift one’s spirits, take your taste buds to an unexplored place and make you feel at home. As an ethnically diverse city, Homewood offers several alternatives to chain grocery stores, giving customers a chance to internationally enhance their taste buds.

Since 1996, Constantine International Foods has offered the community freshly baked pita bread as its best people-pleaser.

Owner Naji Constantine acquired the restaurant and bakery in 1996 and has grown it to include a market and wholesale warehouse.

Customers can find the market attached to Naji’s Pita Gourmet restaurant full of a variety of Middle Eastern foods from places such as Iran, Israel and Lebanon.

Samia Emaish, Naji’s older sister and general manager, said customers prize the availability of products the market provides. With an online store where customers can grocery shop also, Constantine’s strives to bring the people exactly what they want when they want.

What it offers: Middle Eastern

In their own words: “We’re always open to suggestions.”

Best-selling items: pita bread and halaal meat

Unique items: British candy, manaqesh, kishk, Baba Ghanouj and shawarma

What’s to come: continued growth in product availability