With the Holidays fast approaching, check out the cornucopia at Harvest Delights, a gourmet deli restaurant located at the Boykin Center, 7930 NW 36 Street. Now celebrating its first anniversary, the restaurant is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Owner and manager José (Pepe) Saumat conceived the idea for the restaurant with his wife Irela. “What you see here is what we like; it’s our taste,” says the Cuban-born Pepe. “We like serving healthy foods. Our family eats here. Nothing is fried.”

Pepe has a long history with Doral, and notes: “I’ve been in the area 24 years. I was the first one to have a house built in Doral Estates.”

So it seemed natural for him to locate the restaurant in Doral. There is a bakery on the premises which makes a bounty of baked goods, such as bagels, muffins, French bread, croissants and turnovers, fresh daily.

Freshness is one quality that Pepe insists upon: “Everything is prepared when the customer orders it. If anything is left over at closing time, we give it to the employees.”

Breakfast can range from a simple bagel and coffee to a smoked salmon omelette with a cappuccino or a fruit smoothie.

For lunch and dinner there is a myriad of exciting choices. Boar’s Head meats and cheeses are used exclusively for all sandwiches and wraps.

A special taste treat is the Mediterranean platter, comprising stuffed grape leaves, cabbage rolls and hummus. Tabouli salad with green or black olives is also featured.

Diners can also indulge in grilled delights or a choice of ten pasta dishes, including vegetarian varieties.

Harvest Delight is also a nice place for afternoon coffee, with music of the Americas contributing a pleasant background to read or relax.

There is another side to this corner of international flavors. “We look for the best flavors we can find,” says Pepe, “We carry products from Italy, Spain, France, the U.S. and Brazil. With these wonderful ingredients we make excellent party platters to please everyone’s taste. Our wines include selections from France, Chile, South Africa, Australia and California.”

Recently Pepe and Irela have started offering complimentary wine tasting on Fridays, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., complete with commentary provided by an expert. Pepe explains: “Our clientele is upscale and we want people to have a nice evening without having to travel so far.”

Looking for the perfect gift for the Holidays? Consider a gift basket of food and wine custom made by Irela. They start at $25.00, but can reach whatever level of extravagance the shopper chooses.

“We’ve prepared a $400 basket with Dom Perignon for one customer,” smiles Pepe. Caviar is another treat available at Harvest Delight, which features Beluga, Asetra and Sevruga.

The restaurant is open every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM., Friday from 7:00 AM to midnight and Sunday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. All sandwich and salad platters begin at $4.50, while entrees range from $6.50 to $11.00.

For more information call 305 406 1114.