Andrew Drozd says his store, European Food Market, is selling happiness, but it is also serving up nostalgia.
On Nov. 3, a man came into the store and found a can of condensed milk that reminded him of his childhood in Chicago, Drozd said. The man had goosebumps as he held the can tightly to his chest, he said.
“We sell happiness to people, that’s all we do,” Drozd said. “Everyone is welcome here, no matter what language they speak. Everybody needs to be happy, and we sell happiness to everybody.”
For one man, happiness was a can of condensed milk. For others, it can be house-smoked fish or Polish candies. Drozd and his co-owners, Lida Kungurtseva and husband, Andrey Kungurtsev, started with a fish smoking business.
“Believe it or not, we started from a garage,” said Drozd, who is originally from Kazakhstan.
The business grew into a smaller storefront under the name Fish Delights. A few weeks ago, the store moved to a larger spot in the same center at 12222 Poway Road and the name was changed to European Food Market.
“We’re trying to bring a little bit of comfort food for a taste of home,” Kungurtseva said.
Foods come from Ukraine, Moldova, , Israel and Poland, among other countries.
“We used to eat this one when I was a kid,” Drozd said, grabbing a loaf of borodinskij bread, a dark brown bread sometimes covered in nuts and seeds.
The store bakes some of its own breads like rye bread, which is popular in Eastern Europe, and offers some from Ramona Country Bakery. It also has fresh organic fruits and vegetables from Ramona, where Kungurtseva and her husband live.
“We’re trying to small businesses,” she said.
The store is also working on a donation shelf for local Ukrainian immigrants.
Some customers come once a week especially for the pirozhki, which is fried dough with assorted fillings, Drozd said.
One of his favorites is in the deli section. It’s called shuba or herring under a winter coat. The Russian salad is made of finely chopped pickled herring, eggs, beets, carrots, potatoes and dressing.
“All the salads, I can eat every day all day long,” he said.
A favorite for the holidays, black caviar can be hard to find, but the store has it. Kungurtseva said people have driven up from Orange County just for the caviar alone.
- Board and Brew Poway is celebrating its first anniversary. A ribbon cutting will be held on Nov. 18 from 5 to 7 p.m.
The restaurant is at 13501 Poway Road. The event is free and open to the public.
