Sally Elias never imagined she’d own a restaurant, but it makes sense given her history with food. She began college at UC Santa Barbara in the early 2000s studying computer science but ended up graduating with a degree in political science. To make money, she found herself making foot-long sandwiches at Subway. Her life shifted when corporate approached her about working as their consultant, inspecting franchises across Central California.
In eight years Elias became a director of operations for Subway.
“I loved my job,” Elias said. “It was very rewarding to help business owners make money.”
Now’s she hoping she can do the same for herself with her own restaurant.
In November 2014, Elias began exploring the idea of starting a restaurant. Like any new restaurateur, Elias had a unique vision of what she wanted to do and went with it. After four months of preparation, she opened Sula Mediterranean Kitchen and Bar on March 9. As far as Elias knows, it’s the only restaurant of its kind currently operating in Santa Maria.
“I love living in this town, but it needs a different type of cuisine,” Elias said
The food is reminiscent of the cooking Elias enjoyed growing up in Iraq (at 15 years old, she moved with her family to Los Angeles from Basra in 1997). Most of the menu is inspired from family recipes and cultural dishes. But she had to make some adjustments in order to appeal to many palates. To strike a balance of taste that wasn’t too spicy or lacking flavor, Elias enlisted her parents’ help.
“It was sort of a challenge at first,” she admitted. “I had to convince my dad.”
Sula is a quick-service restaurant, but everything on the menu is made to order. The meat is marinated the night before it’s prepared, and the falafel and hummus are made fresh daily, according to Elias, who added that the menu conforms to a healthy Mediterranean diet.
Catering is also available, and Elias is already working on a delivery service.
But it’s not just the food that locals might find attractive. Inside the sprawling brick interior that was once the 510 Event Center, Sula contains a full bar and a stage that makes it possible to host live bands and DJs, which Elias has already done on a few occasions. The large interior was a bit intimidating for Elias at first, but it’s workable, she said. It can easily accommodate large parties of diners.
Now that Sula is open, Elias’ job is to keep it that way. Elias hasn’t made a big splash over her restaurant, preferring to rely on word-of-mouth and social media.
Between her corporate experience, her passion for cooking, and a little gusto to boot, Elias is confident that Sula will continue to dish out the grub.
“It’s the third week and things are good,” Elias said. “I can’t wait to see what I can do next.”
Sula Mediterranean Kitchen and Bar is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 12 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and closed on Sundays. Sula is located at 510 S. Broadway in Santa Maria. For more information, call 291-8279.
Biz Highlights
• Halsell Builders in Santa Maria announced on March 31 that Ken Kral became its director of finance. Before Halsell, Kral was the chief financial officer and president for Hughes Development Corporation in Glendora and was the vice president of equity and finance for Century Vintage Homes, a $200 million private land developer based in San Bernardino. Kral is the winner of the Newton D. Becker Award for Excellence in Accounting and is a graduate of Cleveland State University.
• Santa Barbara-based nonprofit PathPoint announced on April 1 that Marielle DeFazio was appointed as its first chief operations officer. As the COO, DeFazio will concentrate on advising and supporting divisional operations in each of the six PathPoint locations throughout Southern and Central California. DeFazio already has at least a decade of experience with PathPoint in nonprofit management, community development, and youth empowerment. PathPoint was founded in 1964 to assist people with disabilities, mental illnesses, and who are economically disadvantaged achieve independent lives.
Staff Writer David Minsky wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Apr 9-16, 2015.