Cybersecurity expert turned restaurateur brings Culture Shock to diners offering diversity of dishes
For a man whose profession is cybersecurity, Muhammad Ausaf’s next pursuit might sound a bit surprising.
Ausaf, of Lombard, plans to open Culture Shock, a new restaurant in Glen Ellyn that will offer a mix of cuisines, including European, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Turkish.
“I always loved food, I always had a passion for it,” Ausaf said. “After seeing so many new things open up, I always kept thinking there was something missing.”
Culture Shock is targeted to open in October at 874 Roosevelt Road.
Menu items will include the Korean barbecued beef dish bulgogi, Turkish kebab, Japanese ramen and mochi doughnuts, and the South Asian dessert, falooda.
People also will be able to order an old-fashioned American hamburger.
“We’re not only a restaurant but we are also a cafe,” Ausaf said.
He said one of the cafe offerings will be Turkish coffee prepared using hot sand.
“People are going to be wondering how that is possible,” Ausaf said. “They need to come in and see.”
The restaurant will serve halal foods, meaning what is permissible under Islamic guidelines, he said.
“There are going to be a variety of foods from multiple cultures that are going to make people feel like they’re back home. We’re trying to make every dish as authentic as possible,” Ausaf said.
With a capacity of about 100 people and additional outdoor dining, Ausaf said the contemporary design will showcase different cultures through work by Chicago artist Ayesha Omar as well as in its furniture and architecture.
The restaurant will include two private rooms for up to six people, the owner said, with different seating options such as a majlis, which in Arabic translates to a sitting room.
Ausaf, 30, also plans to offer an automated server from Bear Robotics, programmed to welcome diners in different languages.
He said Culture Shock will be in more than 4,000 square feet that previously held the OMG Grill and before that Chicks ‘n Salsa, plus, after knocking down a wall, additional space from a former salon.
A graduate of Glenbard East High School in Lombard, Ausaf said he attended College of DuPage before earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in cybersecurity from DePaul University. He formerly worked for Abbott Labs in Lake Forest, he said.
It’s definitely a different career path from the restaurant business.
“We may have our differences, but I think the beauty is food can bring everyone together,” Ausaf said.
“It can show our culture, our roots, where we came from. And if anything, we all can learn from each other and also respect each other’s culture. That’s the essence of Culture Shock.”