Where it all began: Caravan Serai

Abdul (AK or Abe) and Carol Kayoum opened the Caravan Serai restaurant in 1971 in the basement of a Minneapolis motel, originally serving American food three meals a day. Longing to cook and share the cuisine of AK’s home country with restaurant guests, the Kayoums began offering Afghan food two nights a week. They soon moved the restaurant to Saint Paul’s Highland Park, turning it into a complete Afghan experience – from the décor and traditional server attire to the music and belly dancing, and the luscious Afghan fare. As part of the experience, guests often listened to AK’s stories of the country he left to attend the University of Minnesota in 1957, when there were only about 100 Afghans living in the United States.

“The Caravan,” as it was affectionately known to many, was a family business that also became a family. AK and Carol enlisted their children to help cook, serve and even belly dance at the restaurant. In 1986, Nancy, the oldest of the Kayoum siblings, bought the restaurant from her parents after a stint in California and the corporate food world. With a magnanimous personality and love of hospitality, Nancy achieved celebrity status among diners who lit up when Nancy appeared in the dining rooms.

“I spent many evenings with Nancy and her siblings – Joe, Dave and Marcia – at the restaurant,” said Steve Michalski, who was hired as a dishwasher in 1977. “The fun part is members of my family also became part of the Caravan Serai. On certain weekends, Nancy’s staff included my wife Vickie, sisters Theresa and Maria, my mother Judith and 2 brothers-in-law.” During a long career in retail, Michalski never lost touch with Nancy. In 2016, he joined the procurement team at CKC Good Food, working alongside his brother-in-law, Matt Anderson, the company’s director of operations. Nearly 10 CKC Good Food employees either worked for the Caravan themselves or had a family member who worked at the restaurant.

Steve Schnaser, CKC’s director of administration, said, “the work in the kitchen could be tough and crazy during a dinner rush, but the relationships I made with my co-workers in those stressful times are truly priceless.” Schnaser met his now wife at the Caravan Serai in the early 90s, when she was hired as a server. There have been only few periods since being hired as a dishwasher in 1987 when Schnaser hasn’t worked for Nancy. He’s been with CKC Good Food for 18 years.

The Caravan was located on Pinehurst Avenue for many years, before moving to a more visible space on Ford Parkway. It became a staple in the Highland neighborhood for the unique experience it provided.

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many neighbors and patrons expressed support for the restaurant. One wrote, “Your restaurant brings much ethnic culture and enjoyment to the neighborhood. We are blessed to have you. I hope current events have not placed hardship on your business, or you personally.”

In both the Pinehurst and Ford Parkway locations, diners could choose to sit at tables and chairs in the “American” room or on billowy floor cushion customary to Afghan culture in the Afghani, Mazari or Ghanzi rooms.

“The décor of the dining room suggests the interior of an Afghani tribal tent, with billowing folds of tent cloth overhead and Afghani weaving on the walls,” wrote Jeremy Iggers, the Star Tribune restaurant critic, in an April 1990 article.

The restaurant’s ambiance was further enhanced by the vibrant potpourri of scents emitted from the herbs and spices used in cooking – curry, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, cumin, dill, cilantro and more. A marinade of 16 different herbs and spices adorned the Tandoori chicken alone.

The menu included delicious native Afghan appetizers and entrees with beef, lamb, chicken and vegetables, including:

• Baba ganouche
• Bolanee (deep-fried puff pastry stuffed with spinach)
• Marco Polo appetizer combination of sambosa, bolonee and du piaza; served with hot sauce, yogurt and hummus, upon request
• Pach e gosfand (lamb shank)
• Subzi palow (baked sirloin chunks)
• Tandoori chicken
• Shrimp masala
• Curried chicken
• Vegetarian kulchi (hot naan stuffed with jalapeno peppers, carrots, onions, potatoes, broccoli and cilantro)

The Caravan gained a loyal following and regional acclaim for its cuisine, so much so that Jordan’s King Hussein was provided meals from the restaurant while he received care at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester in the 90s.

Iggers, in his 1990 review said, “My visit to Caravan Serai was a very pleasant surprise…I can’t remember ever eating better there than on my most recent visit. Caravan Serai has changed and improved over the years. Abdul (Abe) and Carol Kayoum, who started the restaurant in 1971, have turned over ownership to their daughter Nancy…”

While Nancy closed the Caravan in 2001 to focus on her burgeoning school food catering company, the delicious influences of the Caravan are felt today in the flavorful meals of CKC Good Food.

“To this day, Nancy incorporates her knowledge and love of international cuisines into the CKC Good Food menus,” Schnaser said. “Her never-failing passion is contagious and inspiring and invites her employees to share in her passion. Her willingness to continuously reinvest in her dreams, and in us, are a true blessing. We’re all extremely fortunate to work here.”

Michalski echoed, “Thanks, Nancy, for having a vision, executing it and making me a part of it!”