Shouk Moments chronicles my adventures in creating a new restaurant concept & making plant-based dining mainstream. Here, I’m on the hunt for the perfect pita.

The cold and grey afternoon was a perfect match to the aging homes and rundown warehouses of western Brooklyn. Joshua and I were looking for 220 40th street. There — I was promised — my hunt for the perfect pita would end. Number 220 turned out to be elusive. We almost missed it altogether, but thankfully someone thought to handwrite the number on the old warehouse. The warehouse seemed abandoned, but a quick exploration revealed a steep metal staircase leading to a wooden door. Might the perfect pita lie on its other side?

As we ascended the door opened as if anticipating us, and we were quickly transported back in time. A small office, brimming with paper invoices, catalogs, notes, and what not. A picture of a late prominent rabbi hung on the wall alongside a dated calendar of pastrami glamour shots. A custom order, no doubt. Behind a large desk sat a large man. Scruffy, a bit suspicious, and very Israeli. This was it.

The den of the Pita King of New York.

Not unlike Alice in Wonderland’s omnipotent Caterpillar, the Pita King of New York seemed to be running his pita empire from behind his desk, possibly not having left it for days. Or more. We were immediately served strong Turkish coffee, which earned us points. We then quickly lost said points by turning down the requisite smoke, and were blamed for ruining the coffee experience altogether. To his credit, the King waited almost until we left before lighting up. Almost.

And then came the pitas. Thick, airy, and perfectly round, this pita would make a great vehicle for Shouk’s plantiful food. To demonstrate the pita’s superb structural qualities, the King cut it open and proceeded to insert his enlarged hand into it, wearing it like a glove. He then waved the whole thing in Joshua’s face exclaiming “Now see! This! This right here is a pita!” Joshua’s face, in turn, revealed his horror, as he realized he will be tasting this wearable pita next. And taste it he did. The whole damn thing.

The King’s pitas are made by one of Israel’s oldest and most respected bakeries. The bakery figured out how to produce pitas in a style previously only possible with manual baking. This secret is so well guarded that our request to see the bakery was dismissed with a chuckle. And to ensure that we internalized the bakery’s feat, the King turned once again to poor Joshua and exclaimed: “1,300 pitas per hour — this is no joke!!”.