Specialty Of The House: John Papas Cafe

It's the unexpected that makes things interesting, and, in the case of the chef at the John Papas Cafe on East Hampton's Park Place, tasty and bountiful as well.

The chef is Mohamed Kharabiesh, a native of a Cairo suburb and a "workaholic," according to Mr. Papas, the owner since 1994.

Mr. Kharabiesh, 47, has lived in these parts for about 15 years now. He misses the country where he spent half his life, but "loves" the East End. His expressive hazel eyes twinkled as he described the long beach walk he took in Montauk in Sunday's balmy sunshine.

His background is as varied as the menu he offers the eatery's loyal following of local customers. A practicing Muslim, Mr. Kharabiesh has been cooking this month all the while observing Ramadan, 30 days in the Islamic calendar when the faithful are required to fast from sunup to sundown.

Born in Belbais, about 40 kilometers south of Cairo, he recalled watching large vats of "bubbling chocolate" at his family's candy-bar factory. "I liked the heat," he said, personalizing the proverb, so "I stayed in the kitchen."

An educated man, he finished the University of Cairo in 1973 with a degree in accounting, a profession he worked at for about six years. At the same time, he kept up what he called his "hobby" of cooking, working in the kitchen of an exclusive club that had once belonged to King Farouk, on an island in the Nile, near Giza. The establishment had since become a military club for high-ranking Egyptian military officers and was a place, he said, to learn "good cooking."

Those years were a "transitional time" in Egypt, he said -- the period between 1968, when Abdel Nasser's regime ended, and Anwar Sadat's new politics. The country's population had begun to explode, and friends in the United States encouraged Mr. Kharabiesh to come here.

He did - first for a visit, and two years later to settle. He moved first to Jersey City, while working as the chef at an Italian restaurant near Broadway. But after being mugged, he decided that "New York was worse than Cairo." He went to an employment agency and requested a position "at least two hours away" from the city.

That brought him to Gurney's Inn, where he worked from 1982 to 1989, pausing for a year to run his own restaurant in Bethlehem, Pa. He returned to Gurney's, though, as sous chef, and then chef until financial difficulties at the inn forced salary reductions.

His next job was as executive chef at the Crow's Nest in Montauk. He also ran the Atlantic Terrace Hotel coffee shop and for a couple of years owned the Montauk Cafe, now Dooley's, but that property was foreclosed and he was forced out.

Soon after, he "stopped by" the John Papas Cafe in search of a job. He and Mr. Papas talked for two hours - and he has been working there ever since. "I love it," he said. "I don't even need a vacation."

Mr. Papas, who was the cafe's original chef, has taught Mr. Kharabiesh something about Greek cooking. The owner characterized his cafe as a "small diner with the quality of a cafe. We serve good, down-to-earth food."

The John Papas Cafe is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Prices are moderate, and beer and wine are served. Interspersed among the menu's classic American selections are traditional Greek favorites such as pastichio, moussaka, and chicken souvlaki served with the popular tzatziki sauce made from yogurt, sour cream, cucumbers, and spices.

The all-time favorite, however, is the spanakopita, or spinach pie. A treat for all seasons, the recipe follows:

Spinach Pie John Papas

Ingredients:

3 lbs. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

1 large Spanish onion, finely diced

1 lb. feta cheese

1 lb. cottage cheese (or a little more depending on saltiness of the feta)

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 lb. phyllo dough

White pepper

Pinch of dill

Melted butter

Method:

Saute onion until wilted in a small amount of high-quality olive oil, add spinach and dill and cook until mixture is partially cooked. Remove from heat. Add feta and cottage cheeses, eggs, and pepper and combine well until mixture resembles marble. Set aside.

Brush melted butter on each of the phyllo leaves. Layer half the phyllo on the bottom of a large baking pan, draping the excess over the sides of the pan. Pour in the spinach mixture.

Fold the edges of the phyllo across the top of the spinach, then cover the entire pie with the remaining leaves of dough, tucking the top layer into the sides of the pan as though to form a pocket.

Bake in a 325-degree oven for about half an hour, until the dough is browned and crispy. Serves eight.