A number of years back, Mohamed Souaiaia was working at a grocery store. He recalls that a young co-worker didn’t know what an apricot was.

For Souaiaia, that was a bit surprising. A Tunisian born in Algeria, the childhood he described seemed far from idyllic. But he still remembers eating fruit he picked right off the tree.

Flashing forward a number of years, and after studying and teaching political science at the University of Washington and other schools, Souaiaia veered away from academics and bought a small fruit stand, perhaps with memories of those childhood fresh fruits in the back of his mind. In 1993, he again moved off in a somewhat different direction, buying an existing meat-distribution business and moving it to Kenmore in 1997.

In the present day, Souaiaia’s enterprises — his retail outlet, the Butcher Shop Cafe and the wholesale Select Gourmet Foods, both on Juanita Drive — offer meats and salads reflecting what he called a Mediterranean flavor. Chicken and steak are certainly on the menus, but also Tunisian lamb merqez, lamb meatballs and wild boar with rosemary.

Sides include couscous, hummus or curry chicken salad with almonds and currants.

Possibly in keeping with the unique route Souaiaia seems to have taken to end up in the food business, he tries to operate his undertakings a little differently. He said he began offering all natural and organic meats long before it was popular to do so.

“When I bought the company in 1993, I don’t think anybody cared about natural foods,” Souaiaia said.

It was in May of last year that he branched out once more, adding the Butcher Shop Cafe to his warehouse and distribution space.

Souaiaia stuck with the idea of offering organic and natural foods, selling meats and sandwiches at first, and now offering the salads and sides, as well. There are different specials offered regularly, but the daily menu of the Butcher Shop Cafe includes brisket sandwiches, Ruebens, corned beef, lamb and chicken.

If, as Souaiaia said, his background in political science influenced how he operates his business, perhaps his childhood background influenced his academic interests. Souaiaia said he grew up a refugee in an area where the border between Algeria and Tunisia was in flux and dispute.

“Nobody really knew where it was,” he said of the line between one country and its neighbor.

Souaiaia talked about growing up on United Nations food donations, his parents using empty flour sacks to make clothes. He later added that land mines left over from the old border conflicts still plague the area today.

As for Souaiaia, he came to the U.S. in 1971, sponsored by a Peace Corps volunteer. But even if Souaiaia’s story is more dramatic, he isn’t the only person at the Butcher Shop Cafe with a tale to tell.

Butcher Bill Strohschnitter spent most of his adult life working for Boeing, then as a business consultant. He took some time off and, living near the Pike Place Market, he said he simply approached a butcher there about learning the trade.

“It’s just something I always wanted to learn… It’s the most stress-free job I’ve ever had in my life,” Strohschnitter said.

Strohschnitter has been a butcher in his own right now for about four years and prepares much of Souaiaia’s meats, including many of the cafe’s retail offerings. Some of the most popular of those include sausage and jerky, all of which Strohschnitter makes himself.

Strohschnitter added he knows about 150 sausage recipes, everything from basic varieties to Turkish sucuk. Strohschnitter is also trying to come up with a different jerky flavor for each of the 50 states. As hinted, he helps design the Butcher Shop menu.

“It’s still a little hit and miss,” he said. “We just try different things.”

Souaiaia said he somewhat misses academics and may get back into that field somewhere down the line.

“The food business is very demanding, it’s very competitive,” he said.

For now, Souaiaia hopes to continue to add to his retail and deli offerings. There is a Butcher Shop Cafe page on Facebook, but Souaiaia said he enjoys the face-to-face contact with customers visiting the store.

“I like to meet people and get to know who they are,” he said. “It’s not just about the sale.”