Adam Rabi remembers watching his family cook during his childhood in Jordan, and it is those flavors and sense of family that he now looks to bring into his Richardson restaurant.

“I started cooking when I was 6 or 7 years old,” Rabi said. “I would go to the kitchen and look to my mom because she loves cooking."

Prior to opening his first restaurant—a pizza joint—around seven years ago, Rabi worked as a truck driver. While on the road, he said he tried Mediterranean food in about 45 states, giving him time to figure out what worked and what did not.

About four years later, Rabi took ownership of what would become Madina Moroccan and Mediterranean Fusion. At the time, the restaurant was serving up Moroccan food, so Rabi brought his own Jordanian flair to the recipe book and called it Mediterranean fusion.

“I always look forward to [making] this something that has special tastes,” Rabi said.

To help his restaurant stand out, Rabi brings the flavors of home to Madina, buying spices from an importer that sources them from the Middle East. In addition, he says he focuses on the quality rather than the cost.

“For me, to make the food authentic, it doesn’t matter how much it’s going to cost me; I just want to show the customer good tastes,” Rabi said.

Along with flavors, Rabi looks to bring the sense of community from his childhood to Richardson. He said growing up, when his family would have a picnic or a barbecue in the park, everyone walking by was welcome to join, and that is something he wants his customers to feel each time they sit down.

With the success he has seen, Rabi is hoping to grow his footprint in Richardson. Ultimately, he said he hopes to find a larger restaurant to expand into, allowing the menu and number of people he can serve to grow.

“It doesn’t matter where [the customer] is from; they come to my restaurant, they are like my family,” Rabi said.

In addition to popular menu items like chicken shawarma, beef and lamb shawarma, falafel, and hummus, Madina Moroccan and Mediterranean Fusion features two dishes that represent the previous owner’s Moroccan heritage and current owner Adam Rabi’s Jordanian upbringing:

• Bistella—a sweet and savory Moroccan phyllo dough stuffed with chicken, eggs, almonds, and loads of herbs and spices.
• Mansaf (served on Fridays)—a dish made of lamb, rice and nuts in a yogurt-based sauce that is considered to be the Jordanian national dish.

Business information:

Madina Moroccan and Mediterranean Fusion, 114 E. Main St., Richardson.

214-774-9120. www.madinamoroccan.com.

Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun. noon-10 p.m.