Her laugh is contagious, her enthusiasm captivating. Like the downtown staff she leads, Adrienne aims to consistently deliver a great customer experience. How does she juggle a multitude of responsibilities and stay so darn cheerful? True love. Phoenicia’s a special place for customers because it’s special to Adrienne and her team. She prefers to describe herself as a steward, acknowledging that it’s easy to manage when you have the best employees.

“I’m all about being upbeat and creating a memorable experience,” she says with hearty conviction. “When we enjoy what we do and work together, our store shows it and our customers feel great.”

Nothing makes her happier than customers taking ownership of the store. Adrienne regularly witnesses customers showing around their friends and families, like Phoenicia is their own little secret. She’s especially tickled when they ooh and ah over delightful aromas that greet them in the store.

For more than a month, Adrienne sampled Phoenicia’s culinary treasures–without eating the same foods twice. She recommends Labne yogurt as “wonderful to smear on anything.” Bayou City Sliders get a nod of endorsement, as does Steak & Tango Night from her husband. It’s just common sense to her. “All the food here is fabulous because the people behind it are absolutely amazing.”

With a background as a computer programmer, Massar Rahma walked into Phoenicia Specialty Foods two years ago, looking for a stocking job that would tide him over until he found his dream job. Little did he know that dream job would be as general manager at Arpi’s Phoenicia Deli!

When Massar began working at Arpi’s, he fell in love with the food and the different kinds of coffees they make. He was eager to learn how to make them and worked diligently to learn from other baristas until he perfected his techniques. His favorite coffee drink is the Vanilla Dulce de Leche–and he gets many requests for this goodness in a cup!

At Arpi’s, he is the Massar of all! He can often be seen buzzing around the busy kitchen, helping on the registers, making coffee and always taking the time to help a customer who may be unfamiliar with Arpi’s delicacies. He laughs as he recalls one customer, who has since become a regular, who chastised him for making him taste an item. Now that customer comes in almost daily for it. The customer said, “It is your fault, Massar! You made me try it!” Massar loves the busy lunch times and has a following of regulars that come in so often, he knows their orders by heart.

You can hear the joy in his heart when he talks about busy weekends when families are relaxing at tables and kids are playing games and laughing. This is Massar’s favorite time at Arpi’s. He beams with a humbling sincerity we when he talks about Arpi’s and how he wants customers to feel like Arpi’s is their home away from home.

Come to Arpi’s and become one of Massar’s “regulars.” He will make you feel like you are home.