It wasn’t until I walked in for our interview -two hours before the doors opened-that I realized how busy Hicham Elmadi had been. I’d been in for some bites and loved it all, but…

“Can you hang on for a second? I have something going back here and I don’t want it to dry out.” He asked.

Absolutely. Take your time.

Whatever it was back there was clearly being made from scratch day of. Noted.

Less than 10 minutes later, Hicham sat down to share his dream with me for Hilton Head Island’s newest restaurant.

Casablanca Mediterranean Grill is a casual eats spot on 278 between The Village at Wexford and Arrow Road. Your landmark? Panera Bread. Yeah, back there.

It’s a vision and dream many years in the making. He’s thrilled to be serving the island he and his wife have called home for nearly a decade. They opened their doors the Monday after Thanksgiving.

JB: How long has all of this been in the making? Were you supposed to open before the pandemic?

Hicham: “Yeah. We signed the lease last November. My builder said we’d be able to open in April. Then with the pandemic, everything got crazy, we stopped,. We were paying rent from November.

JB: With no relief?

Hicham: No. None.

JB: What was here before?

Hicham: It was a vegan restaurant. But actually we re-did the whole thing. There was nothing here. One bathroom. We built out the 2nd bathroom, the kitchen, the hood. Everything is brand new.

JB: Where were you working before you opened this?

Hicham: I was at Spanish Wells Country Club. But before that, I was at Fish Camp. I actually opened Fish Camp. I created the menu, developed the kitchen from day one. Before that I was the Hilton Head Health Institute at Shipyard. I was Executive Chef there for a few years. Before that I was in Atlanta for 11 years.

I came to the island to work for the Health Institute. I was trying to get into healthy cooking. I was very successful making dishes for guests looking to lose weight or gain weight or just live a healthier lifestyle.

I served people from all over the world. England, India, New Zealand, Spain. We had actors, a Supreme Court Justice. I cooked for some of the top 400 billionaires in the world. A General and Governor of New Zealand. A lot of politicians.

JB: Very impressive. Did you always think you’d have your own place?

Hicham: Yes. I did. Especially when I got here (to Hilton Head Island). I had always wanted to open my own place since I was young. But when I got here, I knew a lot of people. So I have a lot of friends. I realized going out that there weren’t a lot of options on the island. You can go out for some seafood or some seafood. Or a burger. (laughs)

I thought about opening something different. Something full of flavors and spices like we do here. We use a lot of tumeric, a lot of ginger. I have a shelf full of….everything. Cloves. But it is not overpowering. I want to have balance. Cooking is all about balance.

JB: So in this month that you’ve been open, has the reception been what you hoped it would be?

Hicham: Oh yeah. It’s been great. The whole month is great. Our customers love us. We have a lot of people coming from Ridgeland, from Bluffton. Lebanese people, Arabs, Indians, international. Plus a lot of Americans. So you know when you have a lot of international customers, you know the food is authentic.

JB: Are you taking pride in what you are offering here to be a little more on the healthy side? Because this food can be healthy or it can be not so much.

Hicham: Well, every cuisine to me. I lived in France for three years. Spain, Italy. I’ve lived all over and made all of these foods. To me, every cuisine has a healthy part and an unhealthy part. This Mediterranean cuisine, a lot of it is healthy. Let’s say kebobs. We use filet meat here. I used to have Lamb Shish kebobs but we switched to lollipop lamb chops which we like much better.

Rice has a lot of flavor but we finish it with a good butter. That’s where it can be unhealthy, but it’s not a lot. Just for flavor. Everything else we use is lean and a lot of spices. Good for your immune system.

JB: What’s been your most popular item so far?

Hicham: Well, if it’s not going to be perfect, I’m not going to put it on the menu. As an Executive Chef, I wanted a balanced menu. Everything on the menu sells. There is not a most popular yet. We sell everything. From the top to the last item.

JB: Are you from Casablanca?

Hicham: My wife and I are both from Casablanca. I moved away when I was 18 and I finished culinary school. I was working with my dad in his restaurant in Casablanca. Then I moved to Spain for a year. France for two years. Italy and then Atlanta.

JB: How often do you get home to visit?

Hicham: I try to go every year.

JB: The island as a whole. You said you’ve been here 7 years and you wanted to open something different. Do you think there is room for growth on the island in that department?

Hicham: Absolutely. We definitely need more something like Indian. Just to have a little bit of balance, you know?

JB: Do you think the island will support that?

Hicham: Actually I don’t think so. Not everyone wants to go out to eat Indian for example every night. Let’s say you do Moroccan food people wont want that every day. But this is something people can have every day.

JB: I understand. That’s why you think this works because people can come here to eat rather than dine. But still have great quality food.

Hicham: Absolutely

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