Food has a unique ability to evoke memories, and for Fouad Catrib, those memories are deeply tied to his mother. Fouad is the son of Marie Catrib, whose restaurant, Marie Catrib’s, opened in Grand Rapids in 2006 and quickly became a community staple. For a time, Fouad co-owned the restaurant with Marie.
Customers at Marie’s restaurant often encountered long waits on weekends and for weekday breakfast. But it was her unique flavors and dishes that kept them coming back. ("I walked into her restaurant, had a meal, then I ate every meal there for the next two weeks," one customer told MLive in 2010.)
Marie offered a variety of Mediterranean and American flavors, and her menu catered to all dietary needs, from ham sandwiches to vegan and gluten-free options.
Fouad shared many fond memories of working alongside his mother, including making one of her signature dishes: coleslaw.
“This is a recipe that has been carried with my mother from the very beginning in her deli in Houghton, Michigan, all the way down to Grand Rapids,” Fouad said.
However, Marie's culinary journey did not begin in Grand Rapids. Born on January 5, 1948, in El Koura, Lebanon, she was the second of five siblings. It wasn't until 1970, after marrying her former husband Alfredo Catrib, that she moved to Michigan. They initially lived in Flint before relocating to L’Anse in the Upper Peninsula.
Marie began her career in the grocery business, working as a cashier in her husband's store, but soon felt the desire to do more. In her spare time, she started making baklava and pita bread at home.
“And then she started giving it out to all these people in L’Anse,” Fouad said. “Some of these people knew what pita bread was. Some of these people knew what Baklava was. But a lot of people didn’t and they thought, How exotic is this?”
As more people began to appreciate her dishes, Marie quickly got the idea to sell her pita bread and baklava to a grocery store in Houghton. Fouad shared fond memories of his mother making pita bread, which inspired Marie.
“My mother was cooking on the most busted-up oven, but it seemed to work really well,” Fouad said. “But the way she made the pita bread is she would, on the kitchen table, she would put blankets down. So two blankets and then two big blankets on top. And when the pita came out of the oven, she would throw it underneath the blankets, which just is the best thing ever.”
The love and support from her customers fueled Marie's motivation to become an entrepreneur. However, the journey to opening her businesses was not without challenges. When Marie sought a loan from a bank in L’Anse, she was denied. Nevertheless, with the support surrounding her, she found a way to move forward.
“So my uncle, Bill Najjar, he borrowed money to my mother,” Fouad said. “Then a really nice woman in L’Anse, who my mother kind of charmed with my mom's food. She, Mrs. Whitman, let my mom borrow some money, too. And then she opened up her deli with that money.”
Soon after launching her deli, Marie recognized an opportunity to expand her business and opened her first restaurant in Marquette. The restaurant took off, but her husband was not as supportive of her success.
In Lebanon, men are typically seen as the breadwinners, while women are often expected to stay home. Marie enjoyed staying busy and pursuing her own businesses. After much contemplation, she ultimately decided to separate from her husband, Alfredo. Following their separation, Alfredo took over running Marie’s restaurant in Marquette.
Then, in 1995, Marie began to contemplate her next steps. She decided to attend culinary school, enrolling at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont, for one year. While there, she worked in a pastry shop but soon realized that she didn’t want to work for anyone but herself.
Fouad, who was living in Grand Rapids at the time, encouraged his mother to open a restaurant in the West Michigan city. In late 2006, Marie Catrib’s of Grand Rapids opened its doors the day after Thanksgiving. The restaurant quickly gained popularity, leading a renaissance in the neighborhood, and allowing Marie to expand into the commercial space next door.
Marie’s motivation for starting her own restaurant, Fouad explained, was not only to serve delicious food but also to provide her sons with opportunities she never had: “To give my brother and I a good life,” Fouad shared. “To take over the restaurant. So she could give my brother and I the best life that she knew how.”
Tragically, Marie lost her battle with cancer in 2013, and her two sons, Fouad and Moussa, inherited the restaurant. The brothers ran the business together until 2015, when Fouad decided to buy Moussa's share after Moussa chose to travel the world. At that point, Fouad became the sole proprietor.
However, managing the restaurant alone proved challenging. Shortly after taking over, Fouad’s brother Moussa unexpectedly passed away, making daily operations even more difficult. Eventually, the strain of running the business became overwhelming for Fouad, leading him to close the restaurant.
“Because even though I might have been the one taking care of the day to day operations of it,” Fouad explained. “I knew my mother was still here, but physically she was not, and that for me was really hard for me personally, but it gave the business a different dimension that I was not ready for.”
Though it has been more than five years since the West Michigan community last enjoyed food from Marie Catrib's, people still talk about her today. This enduring fondness is part of the reason why Fouad hopes to continue his mother’s legacy by compiling her recipes into a book.
Learn how to make Marie Catrib’s famous coleslaw and hear the full conversation with Fouad Catrib on the Stateside podcast.
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GUESTS ON TODAY’S SHOW:
- Fouad Catrib, former restaurant owner and son of Marie Catrib
