Mustapha Aboubi
It’s a long way from Algeria to Castlebar in Co. Mayo, but it’s a journey that Mustapha Aboubi is happy to have made. Aboubi is the proud owner of The Olive Tree, a restaurant that specialises in Eastern Mediterranean food.

“I started in the catering industry at a very early age, when I lived in Algeria. During the school holidays I worked in the local chipper, peeling potatoes. That was my first introduction to the world of cooking and even though it was hard work – I was only twelve, I enjoyed it. At fifteen I got another school holiday job in a canteen as a kitchen assistant. That was when I decided this was the career for me.”

Mustapha knew that he had to gain as much experience as possible and left Algeria in 1990. He travelled all over Europe, chiefly France, Spain and Britain to add to his culinary repertoire. His final destination was Ireland in 1996, which he now considers “his second home.”

When Mustapha arrived in Castlebar in 1999, he decided to open an Eastern Mediterranean grocery / delicatessen shop, The Olive Tree Deli, as he felt it was something the town lacked.

“Six months after I opened the store I realised that I needed to expand. I approached the local authority for a grant and they put me in touch with First Step. Having gone through all the relevant paperwork, they gave me a loan which I used to renovated the shop and fit it with a small kitchen to comply with the health and safety authority specifications.”

Business boomed and in 2001 Mustapha had another opportunity to expand when the premises next door to The Olive Tree Deli was made available, and so he changed the grocery and deli store into a restaurant.

The restaurant, which sits forty, opened in June 2002 and employs three staff as well as Mustapha. “I’m hoping in about a year to relocate to bigger premises and grow the business and set up in another town like Galway.”

The Olive Tree,
Newtown,
Castlebar,
Co. Mayo
Tel: +353 94 903 8812