Sneak peek: This international grocery with a cafe is taking over an empty Fresno store
A new international grocery store with a restaurant inside is gearing up to open in Fresno.
Papaya Fresh International Marketplace opens Saturday.
It’s in the former Fresh & Easy grocery store at the southwest corner of Shaw and West avenues, a building that has sat empty since the British retailer closed all its Fresno stores five years ago after its failed experiment in the American grocery market.
Papaya will open at 8 a.m. Saturday. A grand opening with food samples and live music is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This grocery is decidedly different than its predecessor. Here’s a few things to know about it.
1. It carries food from all types of cuisines: Armenian, Mediterranean, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Russian, Indian, Pakistani, Southeast Asian, Syrian, Lebanese and more.
Fresno has a diverse population and needed such a store, said owner Ibrahim Ghannam.
There’s a fresh produce section, along with frozen foods, an entire aisle of rice, a meat counter and two small bulk sections with plenty of nuts and snacks.
There’s a cooler nearly an aisle long with cheeses like Armenian braided string cheese, Indian paneer, and giant tubs of feta.
The shelves have a multicultural mix of clamato juice, grape leaves, tahini, Kung pao sauce, and fresh papaya. Though all kinds of foods are for sale, there is an emphasis on Mediterranean foods because of the Armenian and Mediterranean population in Fresno, he said.
Most of the products are specialty foods, but the store also carries basics, like butter and a bag of Uncle Ben’s rice.
“If you need chips or a bag of flour … I want you to be able to pick it up,” Ghannam said.
2. It has a cafe in back called Shawarma Corner with a small seating section.
It will be open essentially the same hours as the store, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It serves variations of hummus in the mornings, a common Middle Eastern breakfast, Ghannam noted.
The menu also features Greek salads, appetizers like vegetarian and meat dolmas, and a sandwich category that includes gyros, chicken and lamb kebabs and beef shawarma. Most dishes are $7.99 and under, though a plate of lamb chops costs $14.99.
Fresh-baked desserts like baklava will also be available from the in-house bakery, along with fresh-baked breads.
3. Papaya has a meat counter with a full line of halal meats. Halal is food that is prepared according to Islamic dietary laws.
Also expect fresh goat, veal, lamb, roast beef and more.
Cheeses like halloumi and feta, and several types of olives are also available by the pound.
4. Plenty of work went into remodeling the building. The meat counter, the restaurant and bakery were newly constructed and much of the plumbing was redone.
5. Owner Ghannam is an anesthesiologist from Arizona whose family has been opening grocery stores since 1992. They are renting the location.
The store will employ 15 to 20 part- and full-time workers.
Details: 2047 W. Shaw Ave. Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 8:30 AM.
