The aroma of sumac sprinkled on Persian-American fusion cuisine has been attracting Lakeland foot traffic since December.
“It’s definitely one of a kind,” said Gianna Rahmani of the sumac seasoning on most of their meat dishes. “People have been loving it. They ask, ‘oh what is this from the menu.’”
Vegetarian dishes are the only menu items without the tangy seasoning made from a dried flower, said her husband Farhad Rahmani. “It goes with chicken, steak, and hamburgers.”
The fusion in the Feast of Persia food truck at 3304 S. Florida Ave. melds ingredients foodies might like in a shish kabob but served up as a handheld resembling a hamburger, which is half beef and half lamb – a long patty on a sub roll.
The beef-lamb kabob burger comes in either a grilled or pan-fried version, and it was “our original dish,” Gianna said.
“We’re Persian American fusion, right, so when you go to just a Persian restaurant, you’re used to seeing a long beef patty served with rice,” she said. “He wanted to do a Persian-American fusion, so we took that idea and made it into a long hamburger Patty and that’s the kabob burger.”
Other signature items include a shish kabob sandwich with green peppers and onions and grilled chicken wing kabob marinated in Persian spices. All are served with French fries. A sampler feast is available for a taste of everything.
Vegetarians have the option of a kookoo sabzi sandwich, which combines Persian herbs with eggs – pan-fried and served with a side of mayonnaise.
The Rahmani marriage is also a kind of fusion as Gianna, age 39, is of Filipino heritage and he, age 55, is of Iranian descent. They were both in the real estate business prior to their latest venture and met in California 21 years ago. They also lived for a while in Maryland before spending the last four years in Lakeland.
The couple was searching for something they could do together and Farhad Rahmani had been getting complimented on his cooking for years so they started Feasts of Persia. Their two sons, ages 16 and 18, often help out after school.
The hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. most days with Friday and Saturday hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Occasionally, the food truck goes on the move to special events, so the Rahmanis keep their Facebook page up to date when they have special events to attend.