GREENFIELD — The newest business owner on the Mohawk Trail is eager to share the food of his home country with the people of Franklin County.

“I’m here to share our love and our experience,” said Ismail Asaad, whose food truck Mohawk Shawarma Grill opened Tuesday at 142 Mohawk Trail, next to the Mobil gas station.

Asaad said he moved to Leyden last year from New York, where he lived for three years after moving to the United States from Palestine, escaping the violence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Asaad said he was inspired by a friend to open a food truck. He liked the location on the Mohawk Trail not just for his connection to the gas station owners, but for its close proximity to Interstate 91.

“I worked in a restaurant and I also owned a restaurant before I moved to America,” he explained.

The menu will include many of the staples Asaad grew up with, from falafel and shawarma, to kababs, baba ghanouj, hummus and other Mediterranean dishes. He said the menu has many of the same items that were served at the restaurant he managed in Palestine for seven years.

Asaad said he’s grown to love the local community and has enjoyed the last year he has spent living in Leyden.

“I want to share our love,” said Asaad. “I’m planning to have good communication and cooperation with the community and to be active in this area.”

Mohawk Shawarma Grill is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.

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