After more than five years of operating Pitas and Burritos on Kerr Street, Lebanese immigrant Maro Al Chaama was at his wit’s end. February sales were no better than five years before. To keep the business afloat, he was restricting himself to a $50 weekly allowance. On a rare night out he ordered a plate of ribs and was offered “all you can eat” for an extra $3.00. He could only manage one extra rib and was literally distraught at having wasted that $3.00.
Looking himself in the mirror, Maro determined to turn things around. If they don’t want traditional Middle Eastern Shawarma, maybe I need to serve not what I know, but what the people want to eat. Over the next few months the newly renamed Maro’s Bistro completely revamped its menu…still offering Middle Eastern flavours, but in recipes and combinations aimed at pleasing the Canadian palate.
Within a year, sales had quadrupled.
Maro Al Chaama owner of Maro's Bistro
Maro moved his offerings away from starchy Pitas filled with lettuce and tomato and a taste of chicken Shawarma to Salads with Chicken Shawarma and Humus, with healthy helpings of chicken, and raised the prices to reflect the higher protein and lower carbohydrate content of the meals. He added fish dishes, and watching the trends to more vegetarian dining, he did not fall back on the trusty falafel, the vegetarian staple of Middle Eastern restaurants. Instead, he introduced fried cauliflower with a kale garden salad and humus. Customers loved it: they could eat vegetarian without having heavy fried food. The next step was to find an expert in vegan food, set up the kitchen to avoid cross-contamination and flag lactose and celiac issues on the menu.
A long way from a traditional Shawarma restaurant by this time, Maro decided on an important symbolic gesture. He took down the sign that said 100% Halal and replaced it with a rainbow flag and a sign proclaiming welcome to this innovative, inclusive restaurant. Once again, the courage that got him through the tough times was called upon. Some customers refused to eat in the Bistro anymore, and some were even abusive. But more new diners were attracted to the tolerant inclusive atmosphere, and the fusion of modern Canadian tastes and healthy diet options with Middle Eastern cuisine.
Crossing another barrier, Maro discovered a cocktail in the Toronto Parallel made with Arak, a Lebanese liqueur, something no one in the Middle East would do. He brought it to Maro’s, and named it Tel Aviv, in honour of the Israeli restaurant he first drank it in. Once again, he faced resistance, and even anti-semitic abuse. But Maro held firm: Maro’s is about building a safe, uplifting, inclusive community he says. 80% vegetarian now, his restaurant offers something for everyone in the family, and sales have kept on growing. Prior to the pandemic, he had as many as twenty-five full-time employees working for Maro’s Bistro.
And Maro is not stopping there. His next convention-busting venture will be a brunch spot next door…with Persian cuisine and Israeli style food. The Lebanese French influence will also be present: you will be able to get an éclair where the custard has been replaced with saffron ganache. The new restaurant, called Narenj, should be ready to open when this lockdown ends.
So, no matter who you are or what your background, you can feel good in Maro’s: a perfect example of integration rather than assimilation, and of how Canada is enriched by the traditions and cultures of other countries, when a creative entrepreneur builds a bridge between what once were separate worlds. And yes, it may not say it over the door anymore, but Maro’s is still 100% Halal…just not only for Arabs and those who might occasionally want a chicken Shawarma Pita.
Maro’s Bistro offers dine in, and especially during the pandemic, take out dishes, and can be reached at 647-898-7482 or online at marosbistro.com.
