Gemmayze Grand Opening to Benefit Charities

It's been open four weeks and Gemmayze Lebanese Kitchen and Lounge is finally ready for its grand opening. So tonight the new eatery celebrates its arrival on Main Street with an event to benefit two charities close to the owners' hearts.

From 6-9 p.m. today, the new 168-seat restaurant, which occupies the former home of Small Plates at 310 S. Main St., attendees will enjoy a strolling dinner featuring Lebanese cuisine, beef tenderloins, salmon, mushrooms and more. A cash bar will also be available.

Tickets are $100 per person and proceeds will be split between the International Foundation for CDKL5 Research and the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. 

These two charities were chosen because they have great meaning to co-owners Nicholas Aubrey of Grosse Pointe and Elias Hajjar of Toledo, OH, who are cousins. According to Aubrey, Hajjar’s daughter was born with a heart problem, which was treated at Mott. Their cousin also founded the International Foundation for CDKL5 Research after their child was diagnosed with Rett syndrome.

“We are big on charities, especially the charities we are donating the money to,” Aubrey said.

Their third partner, Charles Thomas of Grosse Pointe, also enjoys community involvement. Aubrey said they have talked about starting a restaurant in Royal Oak for a while when the right opportunity came along. 

“Royal Oak is such a great city, we’ve always talked about starting a restaurant here,” Aubrey said. “It’s one of the only places in Michigan I’ve seen that is still being developed and still seeing a lot of progress.”

Hajjar already has experience running Lebanese restaurants and is now taking on the role of head chef for the restaurant while Thomas and Aubrey run the front of the house.

So far 175 tickets have been purchased to support the cause. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by contacting Lorraine Aubrey at (313) 886-4709 or emailing her at laubrey27@hotmail.com. Purchasing tickets at the door is possible but Aubrey noted there are a limited amount of tickets available.

After the charitable dinner, the restaurant will open to the public until 2 a.m.

For first-timers, Aubrey recommends hummus or Ara-Yes Halabi as appetizers, or “mezza.” As for entrees, Aubrey said the best on the menu is the lamp chops and Shish Kafta. Prices range from $7-$10 for appetizers and $18-$24 for entrees.

Current hours of operation are 5-10 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday; 5-11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 5 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday. On July 1, hours will expand to accommodate lunch and late night customers from to 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.