Karim El-Gamal - Co-owner, The Rail Trail Flatbread Co.
By the time Karim El-Gamal arrived in the United States to attend Babson College, he'd lived in six other countries but never called any one of them home.
But that's changed since El-Gamal opened a popular eatery, The Rail Trail Flatbread Co., on Main Street in downtown Hudson. He bought a house in town too, and said he finally feels anchored to a community.
“I'm sowing roots in Hudson, Mass.,” said El-Gamal, the son of Egyptian parents.
El-Gamal has received a hearty reception. Back in 2011, when he and his business partner, Michael Kasseris, were shopping for businesses, Hudson was eager for a locally owned restaurant to enliven the downtown. While the two, who met at Babson, originally intended to buy a business rather than start from scratch, Hudson lured them in.
El-Gamal, who holds an MBA degree, said they were particularly interested when they learned Hudson officials had a strategic plan for economic development downtown, and had completed traffic revisions just before the economic meltdown in 2009.
“When we got to Hudson and saw the town and talked to the people … we saw there was a really good energy here,” El-Gamal said.
Rail Trail Flatbread specializes in gourmet flatbread pizzas, cooked in a wood-fired oven, but the restaurant offers a broad menu that changes with the seasons to maximize the use of fresh ingredients. There's also a large selection of craft beers on tap, which adds to the restaurant's status as a destination for diners. El-Gamal said the radius the restaurant draws from has slowly expanded since December 2012, and the restaurant is no longer just a local favorite.
For their contributions to economic development, El-Gamal and Kasseris were named “entrepreneurs of the year” by the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce. With Rail Trail now considered a strong local success story, El-Gamal and Kasseris are ready to enter new culinary territory: desserts. Along with a third partner, the two plan to open the New City Microcreamery across the street from Rail Trail this summer. The ice cream shop will use liquid nitrogen to rapidly freeze the ice cream, which, El-Gamal explained, results in a remarkably smooth texture. And for the adults, there will be the option of ordering liquor-infused ice cream, since the partners obtained a liquor license for the establishment.
“There's something for everyone,” El-Gamal said.
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10 to Watch 2015 - Karim El-Gamal, The Rail Trail Flatbread Co.
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