For Eddie Ghazal, food has never been simply about what lands on the plate. It is about family, hospitality, and the people who return to the table again and again.
That philosophy has helped shape Zammitti’s Italian Ristorante, the waterfront restaurant in Kingwood that Ghazal has owned since 2011. Overlooking Lake Houston in Kings Harbor, Zammitti’s pairs Sicilian-inspired dishes with Mediterranean influences, a reflection of both Ghazal’s heritage and a career spent learning from kitchens across cultures.
Ghazal’s father was Italian, and his mother Lebanese, and both were talented cooks. Their recipes became some of his earliest lessons in food. Born and raised in Kuwait, Ghazal was also exposed to Indian cuisine before moving to Houston in 1987.
His restaurant education began humbly, washing dishes in one of his uncle’s restaurants. But Ghazal paid attention. He watched the executive chef at the now-closed French restaurant La Tour d’Argent and began learning French techniques. Across the street, his uncle’s Italian restaurant, Cavatore, offered another education. Ghazal spent roughly 12 years working between the family restaurants before deciding he needed to expand his experience beyond the family business.
That decision led him to The San Luis Resort in Galveston, where he held a food and beverage leadership role, managed a high-end steakhouse, and worked as a wine buyer. During his tenure, Ghazal earned notable industry recognition. In 2005, he was named Manager of the Year in Galveston County, while The Steakhouse received Distinguished Restaurants of North America recognition, known as the DiRōNA Award. Ghazal also recalls the restaurant earning AAA Four Diamond recognition and Wine Spectator honors for its wine program.
He later worked at Harborwalk, serving in management and as an executive chef, further expanding his experience with gourmet cuisine.
When Ghazal took ownership of Zammitti’s in 2011, he did not immediately overhaul the menu. Instead, he listened. Over time, he added family recipes, incorporated dishes influenced by his background, and paid attention to what guests enjoyed.
That approach still defines the restaurant. Beyond Italian favorites, Ghazal offers seafood, steaks, lamb, and special dishes for longtime customers who call ahead with requests. His own favorites include chicken cacciatore and chicken marsala, dishes that reflect the comforting, familiar style he loves.
But ask Ghazal what matters most, and the conversation quickly moves from food to people.
“My customers are my focus,” he says. “Without them, I would not have a business.”
That gratitude became especially meaningful after Hurricane Harvey devastated the restaurant in 2017. Zammitti’s took on approximately five feet of water, and Ghazal lost nearly everything, including about 1,500 bottles of wine. Without flood insurance and with so much invested in the restaurant, reopening was far from certain.
His customers helped change his mind.
The community encouraged him to rebuild, and in February 2019, Zammitti’s reopened. That difficult chapter also brought Ghazal’s daughter, Dana, more deeply into the business. Today, she handles much of the restaurant’s day-to-day administration while her father remains closely involved with the kitchen and guests.
It is fitting for a restaurant built from family recipes to become a family legacy.
Zammitti’s also continues to give guests reasons to gather, from private parties and special events to wine dinners, live music, and evenings on the lakeside patio. Ghazal’s deep appreciation for wine remains part of the experience, as does his willingness to create something special for a guest.
After decades in restaurants, Ghazal has earned awards and leadership titles and accumulated a wealth of experience. Yet perhaps the most telling measure of success is simpler: he estimates that roughly 95 percent of Zammitti’s guests are repeat customers. They come back for the food, certainly. But they also come back because Zammitti’s feels personal.
For Ghazal, that is exactly the point. Customers become loyal to him, he says, and he becomes loyal to them. Somewhere along the way, they stop feeling like customers at all.
They become friends and like family. And family always comes back.