Shimi Kahn, 26, grew up in Israel, but his father passed away when he was 5 1/2 years old. Shimi and his mother tried very hard but she was not the best of cooks. "She has gotten much better since, and I love her soup now, but back then she was not so good." So, at age 7 he took up the task of cooking, gaining practice, and experience up through his teens. In High School he met a beautiful girl from Russia, named Alina, 22, who later became his wife and business partner. After his time in the military he found work in the restaurant business, as a cook, and later as a manager.

Both of them are natural entrepreneurs and after moving to the Seattle area they launched an import business, in a location at the Alderwood Mall. That didn't go so well and after lots of money down the drain, Shimi decided to fall back on everything he had learned since he was a boy and their mutual love of middle eastern food. They launched a food stand and catering business that features some core Middle Eastern foods, but made to their own tastes. "When we came to Seattle we couldn't find anything that really tasted like the food we ate in Israel. So we decided to make our own and offer it to the public," Shimi said. They have operated under the name Falafel King since they began but really wanted their own identity and have now changed the name to Two Chefs Gourmet Falafel.

They will be operating their booth every weekend at West Seattle Produce at 4721 Fauntleroy Way SW from the lunch hour until 5 pm.
They also plan to package some of their products for sale at the the stand.
This is in addition to booths they operate in Fremont on Sundays, the Crossroads Farmer's Market on Tuesdays, and their upcoming booth at the Edmonds Summer Market starting this July.

Their menu is not extensive but when parts of it are combined, the flavors add up to a surprisingly tasty array. They include: Falafel (made from ground garbanzo beans and fava beans, fresh herbs and spices then deep fried), Hummus ( made from chick peas), Arab Salad (cucumbers, parsley, tomatoes, lemon juice), Tahini (sesame butter, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper), all of these are served in or with pita bread.

Their exact recipes are of course secret but somehow they manage to get their falafel to be super crispy outside but very moist inside. "It's the science of the falafel making," Alina said.

They also offer catering for everything from a dinner party up to groups of 250 people. They need at least 45 days notice for larger events.
As for the future Shimi said, "We are keeping it one market at a time, but we are opportunists. If we see an opportunity to grow we'll take it."

You can find them on the web at www.twochef.com