A longtime Downtown restaurateur has teamed up with his daughter and a New York City chef to bring an eclectic cuisine to Springfield.
Jeriees Ewais, his daughter, Vanesa, and her partner, Sebastian Velez, are preparing a mix of dishes inspired by Southern Spain, North Africa and the Middle East at Othello at 1555 N. Pearl St.
Jeriees, 63, was born in Jordan. He had operated Zodiac Bar & Grill on Adams Street for years. His Mediterranean-inspired lunch buffet regularly attracted City Hall and business leaders and workers. Pandemic restrictions caused him to close that restaurant in 2021.
Othello came about earlier this year when Vanesa moved back to Jacksonville from New York City. She is a restaurant designer with graduate degrees in architecture and business. During her time in New York she also worked as the captain at the famous Gramercy Tavern.
Velez is a Brooklyn native who worked for Michelin-star-rated restaurateur Daniel Boulud.
Vanesa, 33, was drawn back to Jacksonville when her father found the Othello building. It reminded her of bodegas she sawwhile spending time in Spain. It served as the inspiration for the menu.
“In Spain, a bodega is kind of like the local watering hole. You get a little bit of wine with some tapas after work and then chat with your friends and hang out,” Vanesa said.
However, Jeriees had other ideas.
He thought it would be a good spot for a pizza restaurant.
It was the first conflict that the father-daughter team had when deciding to work together. However, Vanesa’s vision prevailed.
“I looked at him, and I said, there’s a lot of beer in Jacksonville. There are a lot of pizza spots in Jacksonville. What will make people drive 30 minutes across town from all the different suburbs and other parts of Jacksonville to come here?”
The menu is like few in this area. Starters include baba ghanoush, Serrano ham, Ras el hanout olives, and salads.
The restaurant serves oysters, shrimp, smelt, octopus and even a tinned fish board that includes a choice of gourmet spiced sardines or spicy tuna pate with dips, olives, pickles and bread.
Main dishes are large enough to share and include a roasted half chicken, braised lamb shank, yellowtail snapper and chorizo mushrooms served with tofu, aioli, bulgur, tomato and parsley.
Though the restaurant is licensed for full liquor service, that will come later.
The owners are now concentrating on a beer and natural wine program. Natural wine uses no pesticides or chemical fertilizers. It is popular in New York City, Vanesa said.
The restaurant’s name comes from the Shakespeare character and reflects the cuisine, she said.
“Othello is very kind of racially and ethnically ambiguous, just a man of this region. He was influenced by different flavors and cultures. I really appreciated that.”
Othello seats 60 inside and on the draped patio. Tables are close together. Tables for six are purposeful. Vanesa’s vision is that strangers may dine together and leave as new friends.
Vanesa grew up in her father’s restaurants. Before class at Stanton College Preparatory School in Northwest Jacksonville, she’d pop in for a quick breakfast and would help out afterward.
She is close with her father. She and Velez live with Jeriees. However, their schedules are such that they rarely are in the house at the same time.
“This is a relationship, a partnership. It means working on things, working on communication,” Vanesa said.
“I grew up watching my parents work together. It was yin and yang at Zodiac. He was very good at certain aspects of the restaurant. And I feel like my mother was very good at certain aspects as well. I think I take a little bit more of my personality, attention to detail, the hospitality mindset from her.”
Jeriees starts his day preparing ingredients and making bread for the evening meal. Partnering with his daughter has restored his joy of cooking, he said. He no longer has to worry about the daily finances and problems. He also appreciates working with Velez, a skilled chef.
“He is a very talented young man. Even though I have 20 years of experience, he knows the new ways of the food industry. So I am learning a lot,” Ewais said.
Besides the building, Springfield is a perfect place for the restaurant, Vanesa said. Jeriees has refurbished a few properties in the neighborhood. Springfield reminds her of New York.
“I really appreciate walkable neighborhoods, especially coming from New York. I want there to be a little bit more density. Jacksonville is one of the largest cities in the country, if not the largest. It has a lot of suburban sprawl, a lot of strip centers, a lot of parking lots, and that’s one of the reasons why I really appreciate Springfield.”