by Tessa Howington of North Dallas Gazette

Riad Al-Yatim bought the restaurant in 2007 and has since introduced some Mediterranean cuisine to go along with the Southern-style cooking.

Riad Al-Yatim

“I wanted to be a mechanical engineer.” Mr. Riad Al-Yatim responds when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. So how did he end up as a cook and restaurant owner? “I don’t really know,” he adds, shrugging his shoulders.

What he will say is that “living in the Holy Land, where we get tourists from all over the world, made me interested in the hospitality industry as a whole.” And that he loves “the idea of serving people.”

And he has been serving people well for over 25 years.

His most recent venture, Ms. Mary’s Southern Cuisine, in Carrollton, Texas, is a “new challenge” for him.

Ms. Mary’s has been in Carrollton around five years, but Al-Yatim bought the restaurant and took it over about 15 months ago. He says not much has changed; he has added a few things and bigger portions. Most of the recipes are the same as when Ms. Mary, the original owner, cooked and ran the restaurant, but he will admit that he has brought in a few items reflecting his own personal experience.

While Southern-style cooking perhaps is new to him, Al-Yatim is not new to a kitchen. He started a hotel management program at Bethlehem University in Israel and also attended school in Norway. During that time he “loved the idea of cooking,” and decided to finish at Sheffield Hallam University in England. Afterwards, Al-Yatim worked and owned restaurants in Greece and Israel.

Al-Yatim views Ms. Mary’s as an opportunity to continue his education in the service industry. And, as he says “After one year, I can proudly say I do the best smothered pork chops – more than any other 20 year experienced chef!”

Al-Yatim also takes pride in the restaurant’s catfish and meatloaf. They seem to be a customer favorite and are one of the most unique dishes because of the “special recipe for the batter” he adds a little Greek seasoning to make it exceptional.

The chocolate cake and the banana pudding are more favorites and he proudly uses only fresh ingredients. He says, we “do good home cooking, everything from scratch and original recipes and we don’t use anything frozen or canned.”

As a matter of fact, when you order at Ms. Mary’s, you will be told that your order will take a little longer than most places as nothing is prepared till you order. Al-Yatim believes that this sets them apart from other restaurants as they are not a fast food place, but a “family type restaurant, with comfort food” and is happy that they are not commercialized, but “more intimate” than other area eateries.

Because of his background, Al-Yatim added a Mediterranean menu to Ms. Mary’s, but only for guests that call 24 hours in advance or order for catering. Al-Yatim also has a daily special, and confesses that it’s not always Southern style food, but a mix of all of his experiences. “You never know what I’m going to come up with,” he says, and adds, “We just ask people to try us.”

Overall, Ms. Mary’s goal is to “be a place people can enjoy a good healthy meal and meet new friends.” Al-Yatim shares the “hardest part is satisfying every customer.” He jokingly adds that eventually he does not “want to work 12 hours a day – maybe 5 or 6.”

He says that his inspiration comes from being a “good believer in God,” and that “I always have hope . . . that I always believe that good things are coming.” In addition, he always tries to be positive and look on the bright side of the matter. His advice to everyone is to “never give up.”

His persistence has paid off and good things have already come. Not only is Riad Al-Yatim an accomplished worldwide chef, but Ms. Mary’s was named the CitySearch.com’s Best City Search Winner for Best of Comfort Food of 2007–2008. Ms. Mary’s also has a strong lunch crowd and a good weekend following.

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