This feature was made possible through a partnership with the Milwaukee Public Market, which is celebrating 20 years of making community in our awesome city.

Azmi Alaeddin, chef and owner of Aladdin - Tastes of the East, remembers the day in October of 2005 when the Milwaukee Public Market opened its doors to the public. 

Alaeddin had already cut his teeth operating two Middle Eastern restaurants in the Downtown area. His first was a sit-down restaurant on Plankinton and Wells Streets, which he closed in favor of a more casual carry-out style eatery where he served the lunch crowd on Wisconsin Avenue and 2nd Street. 

“Downtown was a different place at that time,” he recalls. “I had the best luck serving the lunch crowd, but in comparison to now, the market was very slow. In fact, I still remember when Brian O’Malley, the manager of the forthcoming market offered me a deal and establish a stall at the market. And I remember when we opened. People didn’t really know what to think.”

The new Milwaukee Public Market showcased 17 inaugural indoor vendors. Among them were Cedarburg Coffee Roasters, Oskri Organics, Sheridan’s Finest Wines, West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe, St. Paul Fish Company, Sushi-A-Go-Go, The Soup Market, Piacentine's Artisan Bread, Ceriello Fine Foods, C. Adams Bakery, a flower vendor and El Rey Foods.

The vision for the market, he noted, was that it would be more of a destination for fresh foods and grocery items for people who lived Downtown and in the up-and-coming Third Ward. But far less people lived in the area at the time, so the market was – in many ways – an aspirational venture.

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A slow start

“The first three years was a struggle,” Alaeddin notes. “At that time, I offered lunch items… maybe seven menu items and then a collection of deli items that people could take home. I was lucky. I had a bit of a following since people knew me from my other restaurants. But I may have been the only one who was keeping my head above water during those first couple of years.”

There were numerous factors. The Third Ward wasn’t yet the bustling neighborhood it is today. There were far less apartments and nowhere (yet) for visitors to stay. Similarly, Downtown overall hadn't evolved into the entertainment and cultural destination that it has since become. Alaeddin also points out that, since the Market was built, access to Downtown and the Third Ward have been improved by various projects, including the addition of freeway access.

“When the Public Market opened, there were plans for a parking lot and the freeway, but neither were finished when it opened. And, while the selection of vendors was great, they anticipated that people would use the market like a grocery store for larger shopping trips. Instead, people were buying just one or two things at a time.

“There was a lot of debate about how to solve the problems. One idea was to offer more ready-to-go items and things for people to eat here. Ultimately, vendors began working together and – in many ways – we were saved by the lunch crowd that developed over time.” 

Alaeddin says that the best advice he received during those first few years was from a customer.

“Out of the blue he told me: ‘It takes $1 to open, but $2 to survive. Take it as if you were going to college. You spend money for four or five years and hope to get a job when you graduate. That’s how it is to run a business. If you make it through those first four or five years, you’ll probably survive.’  It’s advice I’ve shared with a lot of people.” 

During those first few years, there was quite a bit of shuffling. Oskri Organics and Lakeside Poultry left the Market. For a time, Aladdin expanded and created a dry goods business to sell nuts and snacks. Over time, a parking lot was built. Work on the freeway was completed, and as vendors moved into the Market, they knew more of what to expect. 

“It took three years to pick up and five years before people started really coming here regularly,” says Alaeddin. “In 2008, I expanded my space at the market. I added a steam table so that we could offer lunch service more quickly. When people started asking for healthier items, we added salads. Then we added smoothies, which have become extremely popular. These days we need three people to work the smoothie station on weekends.” 

Rapid growth

Sales for the market nearly doubled between 2012 and 2020. Factors include the success of The Hop, which launched in 2018 and contributed to the ease of getting to and from the market from different parts of Downtown. The growth of the Third Ward neighborhood has also helped. New apartments, the establishment of the Kimpton Hotel and an influx of businesses, including chains like Shake Shack and Verizon, also fed the draw to the area.

But Alaeddin says that the overall popularity of the market went through the roof when the market reopened after the pandemic.

“People were stuck for a whole year at home,” he says. And when we reopened with a limited capacity, we needed to put security at the door because people were waiting in line to get in. Ever since then, the numbers of people who came to the market just expanded. It was like people had rediscovered this really special place.”

Alaeddin says it wasn’t the same for all businesses. 

“Many things had changed,” he said. “I had opened a food stall at the modal station on Saint Paul in 2009, but in 2023 we decided to close it down. So many more people were working from home and fewer were taking the train to work in Chicago every day. I literally watched as my business at the train station got slower and slower. But the Public Market just got better.” 

He says he took advantage of the additional traffic.

“If I gave someone advice for their business, I’d tell them: ‘Do not underestimate social media.’” he says. “I used to think it was so silly that people were taking pictures of their food. But I’ve changed my mind. I watched businesses like On The Bus use it during the pandemic and I watched them get so many carry-out orders. So, I decided we should start using it.” 

To learn the basics, Alaeddin and his son met with Paige Hammond (now the marketing and communications manager for the Market), who managed social media for On The Bus. 

“After we met with her, my son took over our social media,” he recalls, “And it changed things for us. Now, when we come out with new things, we can tell people about it.” 

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Keeping up with the trends

“When I first started my business in 1996, there weren’t many places to find hummus in the city,” recalls Alaeddin. “And that helped us to gain a following. It’s still one of our biggest sellers, along with falafel and shawarma. But we also pay attention to trends.” 

Alaeddin points to the Dubai Chocolate they carry, which he makes by combining baked kataifi (a finely vermicelli-like pastry dough) with ground pistachio butter and melted chocolate.

“This is such a huge seller right now,” he says. “I watched as its popularity grew over in Europe and then I made sure I brought it here. It’s so popular, we can’t keep up with demand. And the nice thing is that people come here to buy the chocolate, but then they will often try something else.” 

It prompted Alaeddin to create the Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cup, a healthful combination of kataifi, pistachio butter sauce, chocolate ganache, pistachio butter and freshly sliced strawberries.  

“People love it… and they love the Market,” he says, noting that keeping up with trends and listening to customers has been one of the biggest keys to his success.

Paul Schwartz, Executive Director of the Milwaukee Public Market and Business Improvement District #2, has similarly complementary things to say about Alaeddin's contributions to the market over the past 20 years.

“Aladdin has been such an important part of the Market’s story," Schwartz notes.  "Azmi’s passion, hard work, and dedication to creating authentic Middle Eastern cuisine have helped make the Market what it is today. Watching Aladdin grow over the last two decades has been remarkably special. They’ve built an incredible following and their success is a true reflection of the spirit we try to foster here.”