William B. Sr. and Emelene Zarzaur

Welcome to Chris Z's Middle Eastern Night. The idea for this started out as a way to bring my family together on a consistent basis and enjoy the food we all grew up on. You see, many years ago my Grandfather (Gidi) and Grandmother (Siti) started having the entire family over for Sunday lunch. I say the "entire" family because being blessed with not only two sons and a daughter; they were also blessed with eighteen grandchildren. Surprisingly, they didn't stop there. They extended this invitation to anyone who would like to come. Many times I remember there being 40 to 50 people on any given Sunday. The food was always Middle Eastern food and there was always enough. If you had something else you had to do it was ok, but they were always there for you. It was a great way to see your extended family on a regular basis. We all became very close and learned the true meaning of "Family". 

When my Gidi passed away in 1985 the Sunday dinners stopped. We all began to do other things and the family seemed to drift apart. We all stayed in touch and would gather on holidays, but it just never seemed the same. In 2003, my mother Lucille died unexpectedly and the family drew closer than ever. It is during this time that I decided to follow my dreams and open my own restaurant, Chris Z's. I hoped it would be an opportunity for me to see my family on a regular basis again. Boy did it work. There has not been a day to go by without a family member coming in. They have been instrumental in making my business successful. It is along these same thoughts that I decided to cook on Friday nights. I wanted to give the family a reason to come together again on a regular basis. As I have gotten older now with my own family, and see how special those days were, it makes me want to share those experiences with others. It is with that spirit that I say to you and your family, "WELCOME!"