Falafel in Fairbanks

Falafel in Fairbanks

Almost every day that we have spent in Fairbanks, we have passed a little stand by the side of the road with a Falafel sign.  And each time, there has been a long line waiting to be served.  One day, we had the opportunity to eat there, and we saw what the attraction was!

Nadar Weiss is an Israeli who completed his time in the Army and decided to take a trip around the world.  He fell in love with Alaska, and then fell in love with an Alaskan and decided to stay here.   They have one child, and twins were born in May of this year.  Looking for a job, he and his wife decided to try making Falafels.  He had never cooked before.  And one of the first issues was that there was no pita bread to be found in the entire state.  So, they learned how to make pita, and then experimented with the ingredients.  He says that Israelis like their Falafel more spicy and with lots of pickles.  Alaskans like lots of lettuce.  

He started out selling at the Farmer’s Market, but when his lines got too long, they had him move to the edge of the market.  He now sells close to 250 Falafels a day.  And he’s open 5 days a week for four hours a day.

He has been featured on The World on NPR with Terry Gross as the northern most place in the US you can buy a Falafel.  He is closed in the winter and those who are looking for their “fix” anxiously await his announcement on when he will be open for the summer.

Oh, and a Falafel costs $8.

So, when it comes to creative ways to make a living, it truly can be done.  You can
sell Falafels to the Eskimos, as the tag line for the NPR newscast went.