By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — The Cuban family that successfully moved Mambo Grill and Tapas from a strip mall to a Salisbury neighborhood is ready for another culinary adventure on South Fulton Street.
Ibiza Deli is scheduled to open Aug. 1 with fresh sliced meats and cheeses and inventive breakfast and lunch menus that are both mouth-watering and economical.
A sister restaurant to Mambo Grill at 1024 S. Fulton St., the upscale Spanish deli next door is a “completely new venture,” said Ariella Sanchez, who owns both restaurants and runs them with her family.
“This town needs it,” Sanchez said. “We are trying to bring the city here while still keeping the small-town feel.”
Ibiza (pronounced “ee-bee-zah”) Deli will be open Monday through Saturday and offer customized salads by the ounce, American coffee and espresso. A gourmet marketplace features a variety of European staples (like bags of Spanish rice) and delicacies (try the figs covered in chocolate).
Bagel lovers, rejoice. Ibiza will open at 6 a.m. with six freshly baked bagel varieties each morning, including bagels and lox and “bretzel” sandwich bagels with blueberry or tomato. Nova’s Bakery in Charlotte will provide all baked goods.
Breakfast offerings also include Croque Madame (ham, egg and cheese) sandwiches, as well as create-your-own omelettes. Prices range from $1.25 to $6.
The lunch menu features unique sandwich pairings like salami and mango, salmon and orange and a Spanish quiche wrapped in a French baguette.
“They are simple, beautiful sandwiches you can’t get anywhere else in town,” Sanchez said.
Lunch prices range from $5.95 for a bacon and chicken sandwich or vegetarian wrap to $8.95 for the smoked salmon and orange sandwich. Sides are extra.
Sliced meats and cheeses will include standards like turkey, chicken and swiss, as well as Serrano hams and Manchego cheese from Spain.
The deli will embrace an international theme with a daily salad from a different continent.
Sanchez expects take-out to make up a substantial part of the business, and a grab-and-go cooler stocked with salads and sandwiches will service the most hurried customers.
The deli offers seating for about 25 with free wireless Internet and a selection of European beers and wines.
Lunch for the office will be ready with an hour’s notice, and catering is available for larger events.
Housed in the renovated Foil Grocery building, Mambo and Ibiza will complement one another, said Paula Bohland, who owns the property and convinced the Sanchez family to move Mambo from the Lowe’s shopping center in 2010.
“They are like family to neighborhood, and I think that’s part of their success,” said Bohland, who lives in Fulton Heights herself. “I was so pleased that they took the risk. It took a little talking them into it.”
Moving Mambo to the edge of a residential area has paid off, Bohland said. The development team — the Sanchez family, Bohland and her Vision Realty and Development partner Steve Butner — have worked with the neighborhood to deliver what residents want, she said.
“We were very, very interested in having a partnership with the community when we took this project on,” Bohland said. “We worked hand-in-hand with the neighborhood, getting their input.”
Residents wanted a casual neighborhood restaurant — they got Mambo.
They want a deli — they’re getting Ibiza.
They want a bakery and a dress shop — well, not quite yet. But Bohland said she’s working on it.
Another new tenant should move in soon. The second floor of the original Foil Grocery store has been leased to a photography business.
That leaves about 2,000 square feet for lease on the first floor, but Bohland said she’s also marketing her brick building next door.
Mambo Grill and Ibiza Deli will share a kitchen, with overlapping hours at lunchtime. The deli will serve breakfast from 6 to 11 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. until about 4 p.m.
Sanchez said she will consider later hours and opening on Sunday if enough customers express a desire.
She runs the restaurants with her sister, Maday Sanchez. Their mother, Tania Sanchez, makes desserts at Mambo, and Maday’s husband, Roger Espinosa, cooks.
Their father, David Sanchez, works behind the scenes to provide inspiration and business know-how.
Ariella Sanchez said while customers will continue to want the full-service, sit-down dining experience at Mambo Grill, she’s ready to build a new clientele of people who want the speed and convenience of Ibiza Deli.
She’s also excited about the European marketplace, which she said will stock ingredients not found elsewhere in Salisbury.
“We want to give an upscale feel with the small-town love,” she said.
Mambo has been successful because Salisbury was willing to support a hard-working family offering something unique and high-quality, Sanchez said.
She hopes Salisbury will do the same for Ibiza Deli.
“This town has a big heart,” she said, “and this town is into food.”
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.