Chef George Elias - Award Winning Chef Shares His Culinary Path

With two pints of Garrison Red and a milky looking glass of Arak, we cheers (or Bisehtak) to Chef George Elias of Au Liban Lebanese Restaurant. 

We dig into the textures of Lebanese cuisine—silky hummus, smoky baba ganoush, roasted pepper muhammara, crisp cheese rolls, and a honey-kissed feta fusion roll—while unpacking how a great spread (mezza)  invites people to slow down and connect.

George traces his path from culinary school in Lebanon to hotel kitchens in Iraq and Dubai, then to Canada through a serendipitous call that changed everything. He shares the pride of being named 2025 Lebanese Professional of the Year at the Cedar Maple Gala and the deeper story of Halifax’s Lebanese community shaping the city’s culture. We explore the mezza mindset—why a generous menu isn’t excess but expression—and how he balances authenticity with accessibility, from manakish and za’atar to the elevated Lebanese tartare, kibbi nayeh.

Beyond flavour, this is a masterclass in hospitality. George talks leadership under pressure, the value of systems, and why service details matter as much as seasoning. He opens up about the grind—holiday prep, quiet New Year’s, breathers in the walk-in—and the intentional growth behind sold-out Lebanese Nights. There’s heart here too: a focus on building stability, buying a home, and starting a family, all while keeping Au Liban warm, vibrant, and welcoming to everyone.

Pull up a chair and let the chef lead the way. If you’ve ever wondered what makes a restaurant truly great—kitchen trust, cultural pride, and the willingness to serve with care—you’ll find it here. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves mezza, and leave a review with your must-try Lebanese dish. 

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_03 (00:00):
Cheers.
Welcome to the afternoon pint.
I'm Mike Tobin.
I am Matt Conrad.

SPEAKER_02 (00:05):
And I'm George Lies.

SPEAKER_03 (00:07):
Welcome, George.
Thank you.
Well, I'm gonna run back thatcheers really quick, George.
How are you supposed to saycheers?
Okay.
So there we go.
Chef G.
This is already one of myfavorite episodes because I've
never seen such a beautifulassortment of food right in
front of us before we even startrecording.
This is amazing.

(00:27):
You're at the right place.

SPEAKER_02 (00:28):
So where are we?
We're at Olivant Lebanesecuisine in the heart downtown of
Halifax.
Oh my gosh, man.

SPEAKER_03 (00:34):
This looks amazing.
Thank you.
And I mean I recognize grapeleaves.
I know some Lebanese foods, butI'm kind of a little bit green
on Lebanese foods.
I grew up on Donairs, but Iguess it's somewhat limited,
right?

SPEAKER_02 (00:44):
So that's the authentic Lebanese cuisine, like
Lebanese food that you see here.

SPEAKER_03 (00:47):
Okay, beautiful.
So walk me through some of thisjust for the listeners.
Some people who are justlistening to the show, too, so
we can kind of describe it abit, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 (00:54):
Well, we have here a mix of uh what it called here at
the restaurant is the trio.
And we have the hummus pesto,that's his favorite.
Oh yeah.
Okay.
And that's here the Mohamara,it's roasted red pepper dip.
And here's the Baba Ganoush,that's the eggplant dip.
Okay.
And right there we have grapeleaves.
Grape leaves, yeah.
Yep.
Here we have the cheese rollsstuffed with the mozzarella

(01:15):
cheese and halloumi cheese.
Oh, and right there that's oursignature.
That's the feta fusion roll uhwith harissa and dates and feta
cheese.
Wow.
Topped with smoked honey andblack sesame seeds.
And you you have the fresh puffbread right here.
The presentation's beautiful.

SPEAKER_03 (01:29):
Thank you.
Yeah, and I love the puff bread.
It looks like uh yeah, lookslike uh just for the just for
the sound, like oh, there yougo.
Thank you.
Well, for the ASMR folks,exactly.
ASMR.
There you go.
There you go.
There you go.
Oh my god.
Look at that.
Look at that.
Maybe this is an entire episodewe should just eat.
There you go.

SPEAKER_02 (01:47):
Why even look at that cheese pull?
Oh my gosh.
And just like, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (01:51):
Okay, so this is the first time I've had these the
Feta date rolls.
Feta Fusion, yeah.
Yeah, these are awesome.
Holy smokes.
I've had I've had a lot ofthings on your menu, but this is
the first time I've had this andwow.
Okay, it's one of my favorites,actually.

SPEAKER_03 (02:02):
Wow.
So, gentlemen, if you'relistening to this show and
you're or ladies and you need agood date night, my god, there
you go.
This place is going to impress,isn't it?
Oh yeah.
Look at the place, it'sbeautiful.
Yeah, absolutely.
Oh yeah.
With the araq.
Got some good drinks.

SPEAKER_02 (02:16):
So there we go.
We got the araq.
Don't forget that.

SPEAKER_04 (02:18):
Yeah, yeah.
So you were telling us aboutthis.
Well, yeah, let's let's.

SPEAKER_03 (02:20):
So we're drinking beer as we normally do.
What are you having?

SPEAKER_02 (02:22):
Yeah.
That's the traditional,actually, uh Lebanese um liquor
that goes with the meza.

SPEAKER_03 (02:28):
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (02:29):
That we pair it with the meza.

SPEAKER_03 (02:30):
Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 (02:31):
And uh it's made from um two ingredients, based
ingredients that's a grapes andfresh anise.
Okay.
And it's distilled for likethree times for like hours and
hours.
And um, and uh it's actuallylike uh have like um a clear um
color.
Oh, okay.
And when you add water to it,the anatol oil in it and the in

(02:52):
the anise, that will give itthat color.
Kind of that milky color it isnow, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (02:56):
But trust me, it's not milk.
Well, I saw the bottle, it said53% proof, right?
Which is a pretty good, uh,pretty stiff drink.
Oh yeah, it is, it is.

SPEAKER_04 (03:05):
So yeah, so uh I I in I mean I can maybe speak a
little bit out of turn a littlebit here, but I think we are in
one of the like you know, therestaurants in Halifax, is in my
in my opinion.
Um, I think that uh you knowyou've just created such a great
spot here.

(03:26):
Uh I I you're one of my favoriterestaurants to come to, not just
because I like you, but yourfood's incredible, and I just
think it's really, reallybeautiful here.
Um but yeah, you you've createda spot in downtown Halifax that
feels as close to like a largecity, high profile spot.
Because every time I'm cominghere in the evenings, you're
always seeing people who have,you know, are known in this

(03:50):
place.
Oh yeah.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (03:52):
So congratulations.
Thank you so much.
Well, without without mybusiness partner, uh Abud Zuri
and his family, yeah, shout outto Abud.

SPEAKER_04 (03:59):
Um and we will get yeah, we'll talk a little bit
about your start, uh, aboutthat, because I know you kind of
you've you've worked with him onother things before, I think,
but yeah, um just to kind of uhhigh-level things.
So you're the uh uh 2025Lebanese professional of the
year.

SPEAKER_02 (04:15):
Yes, sir.
Cheers of that, man.
Cheers, man.

SPEAKER_04 (04:18):
Thank you, appreciate you.
Yeah, that was uh pretty uhthese fusion rolls are amazing.
Are they right?

SPEAKER_03 (04:23):
Oh my gosh.
Oh yeah, for real.

SPEAKER_04 (04:25):
I told you.
They're so good.
So that was the one of thebiggest moments in my life.
Had to be, right?
Like, yeah.
It was at one of my favoriteevents of the year, which is the
Cedar Maple Gala.
And that's where I met you.
That's where we first met, andit which feels like years ago.
Yeah, but it was only like sixmonths ago, but I feel like I've
known you for years, man.
Oh yeah, yeah.
That was a big night.

(04:46):
Yeah.
Walk us through some of that.

SPEAKER_02 (04:48):
Like talk talk a little bit about like how that
how you found out and like howyou just your well, I didn't
actually like um uh knew aboutthe whole event that's
happening.
And um I got a call um from thepresident of the Lebanese
Chamber of Commerce.

SPEAKER_04 (05:04):
Norm.

SPEAKER_02 (05:04):
Norm.
And um he I was actually at therestaurant, and he was like,
Yeah, you have like a couple ofminutes to talk about things.
I'm like, yeah, I I didn't know,like, I thought he was just
gonna he wants to book for likean event or something for the
chamber.
And um he was like, uh, I wouldlike to let you know that uh the
we voted for you to be theLebanese professional of the

(05:27):
year, and we're gonna give youthat award.
Well, and I went on silent.
Oh, I bet.
And I was like, I I I don't knowwhat to say.
Yeah, and he was like, andthat's what I said to him.
I was like, um, thank you somuch.
I I don't know what to say.
And he was like, You better knowwhat to say, or like you better
prepare yourself, you betterprepare a speech for that.
Yeah, and um, I was just firstthing I did, I just I just

(05:50):
called my family back home.
Yeah, I was like, this happened,that's something big in the
city, and and and probably thatnight there was like 800 plus
people at that event.
That was the the biggest,actually.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Um, the gala.
That was the one of the biggestgallas.
And uh I when I was there, Ifelt like I'm I'm going to do
like my final exams.

(06:11):
Like there's a lot of peoplearound, and and and no one no
one knew.
Um the only people that theyknew that was the board of the
chamber.
Right.
And um, but when we sat on thetables, um, we just start
opening um uh the kind of likethe menu that they have about
the whole event, what'shappening, and people start to
see like who was like the awardwinners.

(06:33):
And a lot of people came to thetable, like, congrats, chef,
like we're so proud of you.
And I was like, and that's whenI start like, okay, I'm I'm
sweating, I need to calm down, Ineed to calm down.
But it was one of my biggestmoments.
I got on some point a little bitemotional, not gonna lie about
it.
Oh yeah, and uh uh I was soproud of myself of what we did,

(06:56):
uh, what I did, my team, andeveryone, because without them,
I I I couldn't be here.

SPEAKER_04 (07:00):
Yeah, yeah, it's it's uh it's a particularly cool
thing because you know anyonewho's listening who's not from
Halifax might not realize thatHalifax has a very large
Lebanese community.
Yeah.
And the Lebanese communityessentially has really helped in
many ways shape and buildHalifax to where it is today.

SPEAKER_02 (07:20):
That's true.

SPEAKER_04 (07:20):
Um, so it's I think it's a really special I think
it's a really special thing toget awarded, like, I don't know,
like something there's a there'sjust something something about
Lebanon that I think people getconnected to, right?
From here, right?
And I'm not Lebanese, butthere's just something about it.
It wants to be, you can tell,right?
Because he's gone and he'strying to get up spot.
Yeah, stop drinking out first.
Well, there you go.
I just I just I don't know,there's something about like

(07:43):
every single like person, likeevery single Lebanese person
that I've come across in mylife, and everything, they've
just been such good people,they've been such welcoming
people.
Yeah, um, and they just give somuch back.
And you know, Halifax is I'mborn and raised here, my like
you know, like it's it's myhome.
Yeah, and to see so many peoplefrom and I mean many people are

(08:03):
now at this point, like three,four generations of live and
living here, but just I don'tknow.
I just I get I get I get reallyappreciative of the what has
done here uh and what has beenbuilt up here.
So I think it's really cool thatyou get to be recognized as
Lebanese professional of theyear, uh in I think, you know,
the Canadian kind of I don'tknow the how to say it, but like

(08:27):
the Canadian stronghold ofLebanese people kind of thing,
right?
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Oh yeah, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 (08:32):
So let me ask you this.
So you talk about your familyback home.
So so you know, you called yourfamily back home when you won.
Like whose family back home andwho's here with you now?

SPEAKER_02 (08:40):
I don't have anyone here.

SPEAKER_03 (08:41):
You're here on your own.

SPEAKER_02 (08:43):
Oh my gosh.
I'm here by myself, yeah.
Okay.
I've been here.
I moved to Canada back in uh2017.
That was October 2023, actually.
Uh like in a couple of days,I'll be here for eight three
years.
Oh, there you go, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (08:54):
All right, what was the initial move reason?
Just um school?

SPEAKER_02 (08:57):
I just no.
I actually uh I work in a coupleof different uh uh places in
Lebanon, uh Middle East too, andin Dubai and Iraq also.
And I got to a point like I haveto just start a new beginning.
Okay, and um that's when I metmy business partner right now
that I used to work for him athis restaurant before too.
Okay, yeah, and um I moved to toCanada.

(09:19):
That was like I need to do likeI need to start something else,
something new for me.
And uh when I say back home, mywhole family's still back home.
My mom, my dad, my sister, yeah,my brother, he's in the Czech
Republic actually.
Okay, he lives there too, anduh, and I'm the youngest.
I'm the youngest in the family.

SPEAKER_03 (09:36):
Brave soul just ventured out.
Oh yeah.
Right on.
Oh yeah, yeah.
So um, you know, uh, are you youknow, do you fly home often?
Do you go back often?

SPEAKER_02 (09:45):
Actually, I went uh this year.
I went the end of August untiluh September 25th.

SPEAKER_01 (09:51):
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (09:51):
Uh since I moved to Canada, I never went back home
uh during summertime.
So that was my first time beinghere during summer.
I saw your pictures there.
I mean it looked like you had ablast.
Oh my god.
Lebanon is something else.
Lebanon, like like it's justlike you know, family, uh
friends.
Um like I'm I I love like likelike going fishing and like

(10:14):
Lebanon, it's it's somethinghuge.
Fishing's big in Lebanon.
Oh my god, big fishing?

SPEAKER_03 (10:17):
Yeah, like rail and rod, there's fire fishing,
rolling, deep sea fishing, tuna,everything.

SPEAKER_02 (10:22):
Okay, everything.

SPEAKER_03 (10:23):
And what sea are you fishing from Lebanon?
I'm sorry.
What's that?
What sea or what ocean are youfishing in from Lebanon?
Mediterranean.
Mediterranean sea.
Mediterranean Sea.

SPEAKER_02 (10:30):
Yeah, yeah.
Oh yeah, man, the nightlife inLebanon, the food, the street,
it's just it's just amazing.

SPEAKER_03 (10:35):
Amazing.
What kind of fish?
I'm sorry, I'm stuck on thefish, man.
What kind of what do you whatare you pulling for like fish at
a actually?

SPEAKER_02 (10:43):
When I was there, uh was the season of uh bonita
fish.
That's what I call like the faketuna.
Ah, yeah, yeah.
And I have an and I made like anice reel on uh on my Instagram,
like me and my best friend, wewere like going out, like going
in the middle of the sea likefishing.
Oh, dope.
And we actually after that, wejust like had like had to like
just do some sashimis.

(11:05):
Yeah, yeah.
From from the bonita and likecooking it on the grill, and
just like we're drinking our rattoo.

SPEAKER_03 (11:09):
Beautiful.
How much does uh one of thesefish weigh?

SPEAKER_02 (11:12):
Like oh, it's like a tuna, like huge?
Like no, that that that wasaround like saying kgs or
pounds.

SPEAKER_03 (11:20):
Uh whatever you want.
It's in Canada, right?
We do both, I think.
We do both, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (11:23):
We do both.
That was that was like that wasaround uh six to eight kgs each.
But like tuna now.
It's still a heavy fish.
Tuna now my friend he he caughtactually like uh one of my
friends in Batroon, that's whereI'm from, yeah.
Yeah, Lebanon.
And uh he caught one actuallylast week was 90 kg uh bluefin
tuna.
Oh, it was uh it took him 13hours.
What did he do you know what hegot for it?

(11:44):
Those things go for a crazyamount of money.
Oh, let me tell you, he he wewill never sell uh what we call
it actually.
Yeah, yeah.
We we just invite our friends,and that's what I actually did.
Really?
I'm not joking.
The whole town was there likedrinking and like eating and
whatever.
Yeah.
Sounds like a party.
Always fishing and drinking.

SPEAKER_03 (12:01):
Always too, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (12:02):
Yeah, from your pictures, though, you're saying
nightlife and stuff like that,but from your pictures, it
looked like you were mostly inthe countryside.

SPEAKER_02 (12:08):
Uh I mean, to be honest with you, um, everywhere
in Lebanon, there's uh there'sdoesn't matter where you're like
on the and in the mountains,yeah, on the beach, there's
always something to do for funwhen it comes to nightlife.
Right.
And the village, uh I'm tellingyou, in my town, yeah, we we
never sleep.
We never sleep.

(12:29):
That's it.

SPEAKER_04 (12:30):
So I mean that that being said, being there though,
um, was there any fear?
Because obviously there's a lotof hostility going on over there
right now.
No, not at all.
No fear, no, no, no fear.

SPEAKER_02 (12:39):
It's just like when you're home, you're home.
No, oh, I get that.
No, that doesn't matter what'shappening around you.
We just try to you try to enjoyyour time as much as you can and
be around the family.

SPEAKER_04 (12:49):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Oh, yeah.
No, that's awesome, dude.
Like I think that's awesome.
It was probably well deservedto, you know, you guys you guys
work hard here and you probablyhad a very busy summer.

SPEAKER_01 (12:57):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (12:58):
And it's awesome that you could go for the whole
month of September and actuallytrust your team to keep doing
the you know things and keepingthe standard that you would, you
know, as if you were here.

SPEAKER_02 (13:06):
Oh yeah, I I got to a point right now I I fully
trust my team.
Um the way they run theoperation in the kitchen.
I mean, um they're they're likethey've they've been with me
since like since almost westart.

SPEAKER_01 (13:18):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (13:19):
And um day following recipes, presentation.
I mean, I never I never madeanything of this right now.
They that's beautiful.
That's a theme work.

SPEAKER_04 (13:28):
Yeah, yeah.
And you know what?
Like that's uh that's uh hardhard to do in this in this
restaurant industry.
It's hard to keep people, yeah,and it's hard to um, you know,
it's hard to just kind of keepthat consistency because I mean
obviously people can rotate outand everything like that.
Like how do you do it?
How do you how do you how do youkeep your staff like how you
know?

SPEAKER_02 (13:47):
Well, as much as um my staff, like they're doing
their job, yeah.
Um, they're keeping uh what Ithought them from day one.
Uh consistency, uh the taste ofthe food, the presentation.
If they gave me what I want,yeah, I give them what they
want.
It's very very easy.
I'm very um listen, I'm I'm veryflexible.

(14:09):
Lately, I'm being very flexible.
Everyone knows when the case.
It sounds like that's somethingyou might have learned a little,
eh?
A little bit.
Lately, like, oh my god, thechef is here.
I'm like, it's okay, guys.
Take it easy, it's okay.

SPEAKER_04 (14:20):
Do whatever you guys are doing.
I got to see a little bit of hisharshness because we had chip.

SPEAKER_03 (14:24):
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (14:25):
We had chip in here, and we've done a couple of
videos.

SPEAKER_03 (14:26):
Oh, I saw the promotional videos of chip.

SPEAKER_04 (14:28):
Yeah, we did a couple of them there.
I mean, we had one video thatlike it's like seven million
views or something like thatnow.

SPEAKER_02 (14:35):
There you go, something like that.

SPEAKER_04 (14:37):
6.7 million people have seen his food.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (14:40):
Just on Instagram.
Yeah.
Right?
Which is great.
He had me laughing the way hewas eating the like it was it
was my the night he sent thatvideo over to me, I think it was
before he put it online.

SPEAKER_02 (14:50):
The way he just like, you there's no fork, no,
nothing on the table.
It's like that's it.

SPEAKER_03 (14:54):
The way he slapped the slapped the hummus, though.
He had me laughing.
I mean, uh, I mean, oh my gosh.
I think I said it right there toMatt that night.
I was like, that's I thinkthat's my favorite video you've
ever seen yet.
It was it was fantastic, right?
It went viral, actually.

SPEAKER_04 (15:05):
And it did go viral, and then but then we also did
like the follow-up where we didit in the kitchen, so that's
actually.
I was the camera guy when Chip,and so he was in there bossing
uh Chip around me.

SPEAKER_03 (15:14):
He was a hard, he's a hard head to kind of get work
around.

SPEAKER_02 (15:16):
Walked into the kitchen, he was like, Okay, we
have to do this, this, and that.
I'm like, there's any scriptthat we can like just be
yourself.
I'm like, are you sure aboutthat?
Yeah, I'm like, okay.
Well, if we can handle it.

SPEAKER_03 (15:26):
If it's funny though, like so check out Chip's
socials or uh your socials if uhif uh to see those videos,
they're fantastic.
They are, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (15:33):
A couple things you were giving hard time and stuff
like that.
It's good, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (15:36):
Always I gotta go like ask again now.
So you were a chef, you were achef in Lebanon, correct?
And you were a chef here.
Like, so what was the story?
Why did you want to become achef?
Why'd you stick with it so manyyears?
Why?
Um all goes back to my mom.

SPEAKER_02 (15:50):
Yeah, yeah.
Um when I was around like 11, 12years old, uh, I was so curious
about like uh what she's doingin the kitchen, what type of
food she's preparing.
I want just to learn this, Iwant to learn that, I want to
help her.
Um I wasn't that tall back then,so so very tall now.
So she used to put a chairbeside the stove.

(16:11):
Yeah, and I don't know what waswhat I was doing.
She was like just stir the pot.
And since then, I started justlike asking questions.
What's in this?
What's in that?
How you chop this type ofvegetables, why you're using
that kind of meat.

SPEAKER_03 (16:25):
So you f you were fascinated by it right from the
inception.

SPEAKER_02 (16:28):
Yeah, and I started to like um try to make my own
plates when she cooks somethingat home, like like try to do
like some presentation, like dosome garnishing.
And I was like 12, 13 years old.

SPEAKER_03 (16:39):
Yeah, and we was were they immediately oppressed,
or did they kind of laugh at youat first, or how was it?

SPEAKER_02 (16:43):
They they will show me that they're impressed, but
they're not at all.

SPEAKER_03 (16:47):
Oh, good job, son.
Oh, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 (16:49):
They must be very impressed now, though.
Yeah, big time.
Came a long way, eh?
Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (16:53):
Have they come over to visit you?
Never, never, no.

SPEAKER_02 (16:56):
It's it's not easy.
Yeah.
Um uh because mom and dad, likeum well, our second language is
like French, actually.
Yeah, that's right, yes.
But don't don't even try to askme any talk French right now.
Uh uh.
Oh, his second language isFrench.
Lebanese people, yeah.
Our second language is French.

SPEAKER_04 (17:12):
But my wife's school is like 50% Lebanese.
I didn't know.
Oh my gosh.
There you go.
He speaks a little French.

SPEAKER_03 (17:21):
Yeah, yeah.
My kid's in French immersion,and she's already more French.
I don't even know what she'ssaying.
I'm trying to help her with themath, and I'm using Google
Translate and just taking apicture of her homework to help
like translate it so I can helpher with math questions and
stuff now.

SPEAKER_02 (17:33):
Yeah, it's it's I mean I can I can read in sp uh
uh French and like uh I canwrite French like but like
speaking right now it's oh soyou can write it, but you can't
speak.

SPEAKER_03 (17:41):
Yes.
Oh, interesting.
Oh, you'll have no problem withthe with the French immersion
homework then.
Uh uh.

SPEAKER_04 (17:48):
Putting her through school.
Yeah.
So yeah, so yeah, so back toyour folks.
So like you were they're cookingwith your mom.
Yeah, and obviously you had thisearly inspiration from her.
Exactly.
Um what made you like what madeyou go like, okay, I want to
learn how to do this?
Like, yeah, what was that likesomething like in you're in high
school and you're like, nah, I'mgonna be a chef.

SPEAKER_02 (18:08):
I just got to a point, I'm like, um, it's not
about I want to be a chef, Iwant to be in the kitchen.

SPEAKER_04 (18:13):
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (18:13):
You know, being being a chef, you have to be in
the kitchen first because chefit's a big word.
Yeah, there's a lot of cooks,but there's like not not that
much of chefs around.

SPEAKER_04 (18:24):
That's fair.

SPEAKER_02 (18:24):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (18:25):
Yep, that's that's legit.

SPEAKER_02 (18:26):
Oh yeah.
So I got to a point I'm like, Ijust I need to be an actual like
kitchen.

SPEAKER_04 (18:31):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (18:32):
So that's when uh I went to culinary school back in
Lebanon, and I did it for uhthree years, three years there,
and that's when my journeystarted.
I start like working um in myhometown first, yeah, and um
that's how I start to just likegrew up with my career, yeah.
And um and then I went to Iraqand then I went to Dubai, and I

(18:58):
went back to Lebanon.

SPEAKER_03 (18:59):
Now were you were you cooking uh uh like a kitchen
staff in Iraq or a chef in Iran?

SPEAKER_02 (19:04):
Yes, yes, yeah.
I was uh I was in the hotelactually, and um in Dubai also
we we we went there to uh uh aLebanese kind of international
uh mix, like food, alsorestaurant.
And then uh after I went back toLebanon, that was around
actually 20 2016, and I got thisopportunity.

(19:25):
It's uh it's a very funny storyactually, how how I got this
opportunity to to come toCanada.

SPEAKER_03 (19:29):
Yeah, I'm here.
Yeah, let's see.

SPEAKER_02 (19:31):
I'm curious.
Well, my business partner, uhAbud, Zuri, um, I'm a very close
friend with uh his uh uh nephewin Lebanon, a very close friend.
So we were sitting um on thebeach drinking, barbecue,
whatever, and I got to a pointI'm like, his name is Paul.
I'm like, Paul, I wanna I wannaleave.

(19:52):
I wanna just like, I don't know,I wanna go from Lebanon.
I wanna just like go big anyway.
He was like, my uncle uhactually he needs a chef in uh
Canada, he's in Halifax.
And I was like, and we were likekinda tipsy, let's say, not
drunk.
Yeah, but let's take it thatway.
Right on, yeah.
And he was like, I'm gonna callhim.
And he was like, call him.
Oh my.

(20:13):
He called him, and I was on thephone with Abud for maybe like
half an hour, and he was like,I'll get back to you in a couple
of days.
Just let me start um the theprocedure with the papers and
things like that, and I'll getback to you.
Just send me your phone number.
I was like, okay.
Exactly, two days.
He called me, and that wasThursday, and he was like, uh,

(20:36):
George, uh, I saw your Instagramand whatever like you do, and
you're you're you're a good guy.
And I was like, thank you.
Okay.
And uh he was like, when you cancome to Canada.
I'm not joking, that was hisquestion.
When you can come to Canada,what you know about Canada
before you came.

SPEAKER_03 (20:52):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (20:53):
I was I I was here.
Um you had been there before?
For for a visit.
Okay.
For a visit, but not notactually in Halifax.

SPEAKER_03 (20:59):
Okay, whereabouts?
Where are you?

SPEAKER_02 (21:00):
Uh in uh Fredericton.

SPEAKER_03 (21:01):
Oh, okay, actually.

SPEAKER_02 (21:02):
Fredericton, oh boy, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (21:03):
It's a rough start.

SPEAKER_02 (21:08):
But let's be honest here, it's like it's that's
yeah.
Okay, so and then um I was like,any, whatever, I don't know,
anytime you want.
Yeah, it was like Tuesday.
Oh it was Thursday, it was likeTuesday.
I was like, sure, yeah, okay.
He was like, okay, I'm gonnasend you the ticket, all the
information, the papers,whatever.
Oh, that I'm starting your workpermit and everything like that.

SPEAKER_03 (21:30):
I'm just thinking, like, I mean, yeah, that's not
like a that's you'd have tocreate this entire menu.
Well, this was not this was notthis place.

SPEAKER_04 (21:37):
Oh, not this place, that's not this place.
You worked at uh La Piazza.

SPEAKER_03 (21:40):
Oh, that's how we have another sister restaurant.
Okay, or was there yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (21:45):
So I actually talked to my mom and dad.
I'm like, I'm leaving.
Okay.
Leaving where?
Like, I'm just I'm leaving done.
I'm leaving Canada.
Were they supportive at first?
Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_04 (21:54):
Yeah, oh good.

SPEAKER_02 (21:55):
Of course, and then I came to La Piazza, it's our
sister restaurant.
Uh it's uh it's an Italianrestaurant also.
And I started to work there foruh I worked there actually for
five years, and uh, we got a lotof awards.
Uh the the best Italianrestaurant in the city, the best
pizzas for the community vote.
And um it's it's a familyrestaurant.

(22:17):
I loved, I love working there.
I mean, that's where it was allour beginning, like me and uh.
And we did a lot of uh actuallyevents, and then that's when we
start to do uh and serveLebanese food for like private
events, uh catering.

SPEAKER_03 (22:32):
So kind of on the low, you were just doing that
every once in a while.

SPEAKER_04 (22:34):
Oh, they're doing pizzas, so then they do like
because the levy, like Lebanesehave like a food that looks like
pizza, like kind of theirversion.
It's not pizza.
I know it's not.
I said it looks like pizza.

SPEAKER_03 (22:45):
It looks like pizza.

SPEAKER_04 (22:46):
What's it called?
You want to explain it?
No, you're the you're the chef.

SPEAKER_03 (22:50):
I'll let the chef explain it.

SPEAKER_02 (22:51):
It's actually the pie, but the toppings are
different.
Yeah, no pizza sauce.
Yeah, so there's one that'slike, let's say, whatever you
have in the cheese roll, you'rehaving it on a pizza.
Let's say margarita pizza, butthere's no there's that there's
no cheese.

SPEAKER_03 (23:03):
Tomato?
Nope.
Well, it's not pizza, it's notomato.

SPEAKER_02 (23:06):
Here you go.
And we call it we call itgymnic.

SPEAKER_04 (23:08):
Yes.

SPEAKER_02 (23:09):
Okay.
There you go.
The chef made that cheese.

SPEAKER_04 (23:11):
That's what Chip made.
He made three of them.
Yeah.
Here you go.
Yeah, he made the Zatar.
I love Zatar.
Oh, you know what?
I have to do a quick shout-out.
My wife has a friend.
She teaches with her.
Okay.
She made the best bread I thinkI might have ever had in my
life.
It's a Zatar sourdough.
Really?
And I'm telling you, it'sinsane.
I should have actually broughtit.

(23:33):
Uh I should I I'm going.
I have some at home.
Okay.
I have to be in town tomorrow.
Okay.
If you're here, I will cut someoff and I'll bring it down.
I'm telling you.
I would love to.
It's insane.

SPEAKER_03 (23:45):
What's the difference between a sourdough
and a Zatar sourdough?

SPEAKER_04 (23:48):
Uh it's a sourdough with Zatar in it.
The flavor.

SPEAKER_02 (23:50):
Oh, what's the flavor of Zatar?
Oh, it's just um the Zatar is amix of dry thyme, sumak, and
roasted sesame.
Okay.

SPEAKER_01 (24:00):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (24:00):
So imagine that acidity that you get it from the
sumak and the smokiness from thesesame.
And it's just, and we mix itwith olive oil and we spread it
on the on the on the pie and youcook it in the oven.
Okay.
It's so good.
Cool.
And you can have on the sidelike tomatoes, olive, cucumber,
mint.
It's just like make it like asandwich.
Nice.

SPEAKER_04 (24:18):
Yeah.
You take that, rip that up, andthen dip it into that, and I'm
like, I think I think he's he'sgetting Lebanese.
I told you, he really wants in.
He's trying.

SPEAKER_03 (24:27):
Right?

unknown (24:28):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (24:29):
I love that.
But yeah, like, and then webecause and so that's what yeah,
there's the three of them thatwe made.
And uh the third one, remember?
The third one, okay.
Hold on.
It was the Zatar uh Gibne.
Gibni, and then it was theLahambajin.
Lamajin.
Lambajin.
Yeah, Lamogin.
So the Lamogin, and actuallyI've knew I've known of the
Lamogin because they're the uhin Turkey, yeah, they do

(24:51):
something very similar.
Lamachun.
And I made that during COVID.
Yeah.
Uh we were doing some researchon food, and I made that.
So when you were making that, Iwas like, oh, I've made this
kind of before.
Yours was much better than mine,but of course.
But yeah.
So uh that's what I was saying.
It kind of looks like it.
So I remember seeing like in LaPiazza that you guys were doing

(25:13):
kind of like low-key, likeyou're doing pizzas, but then
it's also kind of like this easysidestep.

SPEAKER_02 (25:18):
Yeah, we we do have because that um at La Piazza we
had that on brunch.
Yeah, we had the Zatar, we hadthe Judney, and we had the
Lahambajin.
Yes, and that's when like uh westart to kind of introduce to
the community more uh localpeople and like also Lebanese
people because they would loveto have that as breakfast,
right?
Yeah, and um and then when uhback to the point when we

(25:39):
started doing like a couple ofuh like big events, uh catering
like Lebanese food and doing thespread of like all the barbecue
and things like that.
So we got a lot of comments likeyou guys need to open like a
Lebanese restaurant in the city.
And uh we got this opportunity,and here you go.
Amazing.

SPEAKER_04 (25:58):
Yeah, this place was closing down like how but it's
been is it three years that thishas been opened?

SPEAKER_02 (26:03):
Actually, uh we opened on June 21st, uh 2023.
That was a Wednesday.

SPEAKER_04 (26:09):
Wow, so it's just over two years.
Yeah, okay, so like yeah, twoand a half years or whatever.
Yeah, so I yeah, because Iremember this place closed, and
the place that was in herebefore was a good restaurant,
and you know, it was just forwhatever reason closed down.
Um kind of a sad opportunity,you know, thing whenever you see
a restaurant close never great.
Exactly.
Um, but uh I mean obviously thenthis was born, and I remember uh

(26:30):
my wife actually came herefirst.
She was the first one to tellme, like, oh, there's a like
authentic Lebanese placedowntown, I think you'd like it.
Yeah, so yeah, it um yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (26:39):
Well, I like it.
So I think you should trysomething else now.
You've mastered this, dude.
So so how about like SouthernBarbecue, you know, Texas, let's
switch it up a couple years.
I want to I want to see whatelse you could do.
This is amazing.
So like the whole menu, did youmake this yourself?

SPEAKER_02 (26:54):
Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_03 (26:55):
Yeah?
So like and when you're makingthese uh dishes, I mean, you
know, I mean, of course, there'slike authenticity that you're
aiming for, but there's alsoprobably like a little bit of
fusion, a little bit ofincorporating uh North American
cuisine.
Like this seems like somethingmy kid would eat, no problem.

SPEAKER_02 (27:12):
That's that's that's the most traditional uh Lebanese
dish.
Okay.
It's very popular, very popular.
Yeah, what's actually kind offusion is the hummus pesto.
Oh yeah.
So because we do have thehummus, right?
Right, and then we add pesto toit.
Yeah, but the pesto that we doat the restaurant, I don't add
cheese to it.
So still for like some likedairy-free, you know.
So there's no cheese and the andthen that pesto.

(27:34):
The fusion one is the fetafusion roll.
It's all it's called feta fusionroll.

SPEAKER_03 (27:38):
And the hummus is nothing like the grocery store
hummus, it's quite quite a bittasty.
What do you think?
Quite a bit taste.
What do you think?
I love it.
Okay, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 (27:45):
Yeah, yeah, it's amazing.
Yeah.
I mean, I like hummus on a goodday, so there's that too.
Hummus goes on everything.
It does.
I make sandwiches with it.
Yeah, yeah.
Like sometimes if you don't wantto like put like mayonnaise or
mustard, sometimes I'll justthrow like hummus in there and
there you go.

SPEAKER_03 (28:00):
I got a more of a philosophical question for you
now.
Like, how do you feel Lebanesefood and culture is represented
in Nova Scotia?
I mean, uh, I mean, like, youknow, Mount Washington, there's
a lot of Lebanese folks here.
Do you feel it'sunderrepresented still or
overrepresented, or do you feellike better, worse?

SPEAKER_02 (28:16):
I mean, it's it's now it's going on the on the
good side, to be honest.
Um again, I've been here foronly eight years.
So talking to like the firstpeople they came to, like first
Lebanese, like they came to toHalifax uh 20, 30, 40 years ago.
Um uh you never had we had wehad uh we had Meza.

(28:39):
Yeah, it's like um they do a lotof type of Lebanese foods from
Tabule to show armas and thingslike that.
Yeah, they're mostly like wraps,yeah um, and like um bowls and
mixing things.

SPEAKER_03 (28:51):
Yeah, and they're innovative guys, they were they
franchised it, they managed tomake it like a I'm a very close
friend with uh with the ownerstoo, Tony.

SPEAKER_02 (28:58):
And um but um what what what I was trying to do is
just to show more how we spreadthe food on the table.
Like, because if you if you'reat the Lebanese restaurant at
Ole Ban, you can have one dishand you can have 40 dishes.
It depends how you want to dothe spread.

(29:20):
I'm like me and you right now,and Matt, we're just like
sitting here right now, we canhave that sharing plate.
Yeah, right?
But like we can also have cheeserolls, you can have grape
please, you can also have youcan have whatever you want.
It's uh how it's it's it's athere's there's a lot of variety
when it comes to like Lebanesefood.
Right.
And it's still for me, my menuis still small.
Yeah, and there's a lot ofitems.
How big is your menu?

(29:42):
50, 60 items.
Oh my gosh.
Wow, yeah, yeah.
We're not talking about uhthat's the dinner menu.

SPEAKER_03 (29:47):
See, because like Western cuisine, obviously, when
you get into finer diningestablishments, usually the menu
becomes more and more condensed.
Yeah, yeah, that's prettypretty.

SPEAKER_02 (29:55):
Well, that's that's a Lebanese culture.
The the meza word is the spread.
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
So there's you have to have aspread.
Oh, 100%.
And talking about like I wastelling you, like about the din
the menu, it's only the dinnermenu.
There's a lunch menu, there's abrunch menu, there's a dessert
menu.
Oh my gosh.
Dude, so your your kitchen staffmust be like crazy.
Like, what the heck is this?

(30:15):
Let me tell you, everyone worksin the kitchen, they're crazy.
Yeah?
Okay.
Okay.
We're all crazy.
Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_04 (30:21):
I I will say, like, so I mean, I think sometimes
like people might see the nameand see the restaurant.
And as much as we're saying,like, I think you've created,
you know, like a top classrestaurant.
That being said, I do think it'simportant that people know that
not to be intimidated to come inhere.
Because uh we like I came herewith my four-year-old this
summer with with my wife.
We were just walking on theboardwalk and we weren't ready

(30:44):
for supper.
It was like kind of in between.
We were hungry, but not, youknow, it wasn't supper time.
And we stopped in here and wehad the trio drips, exactly.
And we had the cheese, like thethe cheese with the cheese
rolls.
Cheese rolls, and that wasperfect.
Kept going on, like it wasn't,you know, it's not breaking the
ball.

SPEAKER_02 (31:01):
And you can go to the extreme, like it can be
really full.

SPEAKER_04 (31:04):
Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 (31:05):
To live the whole experience.

SPEAKER_03 (31:06):
They had to drive six hours or more, dude.
I'm going easy today.

SPEAKER_04 (31:09):
Oh, I was here uh a couple weeks ago with work, day
job work, yeah, yeah.
And uh I left so full.

SPEAKER_02 (31:17):
Insanely full.
I mean, you you told me, like,Chef, it's it's your call.
You feed us.

SPEAKER_03 (31:22):
We had a show later that day, you were done.
That was all, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (31:26):
I was so full.
But it's true.
I I came in, I was just like, Ikind of asked the table.
I was like, hey, like, this is Itrust the guy.
And I was like, this is thiscould he could really roll out
an experience for you.
He's like, do you want to choosewhat you want to eat or do you
want an experience?
And then everyone was like,let's do the experience.
So I was just like, go.
Brilliant.
Yeah, let's have fun.
It's I think I love that as away to experience food.

(31:48):
One, you get to like have theperson who created it choose for
you, which I think is probablythe best way to experience it.
And then you just kind of get tolike food's more than just the
eating, right?

SPEAKER_03 (31:58):
Have you guys seen that movie The Menu on Disney?
No, it's about the chef thatgives people like this crazy
experience, but he's like sickin the head.
It's like it's talking about me.
He gets all these billionairesout to a private island and then
starts.
It's called the menu?
Yeah, it's called the menu.
I'll I would check it out.
You gotta check it out.
It's a messed up movie.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

(32:19):
But he's about a chef that'sjust obsessed with always just
getting to the next level.
That's amazing.
Yeah, great show.
But it's uh it has a really darktwist.
Yeah, anyways.

SPEAKER_04 (32:28):
But uh so the everyone's ever like when people
a lot of people think of chefs,like they're all they obviously
go to like people like GordonRamsey and things like that.
Do people do you like do you doyou yell at people in the
kitchen?
No, no, no, no, no, I don'tthink he yells.

SPEAKER_02 (32:42):
I can tell it's all right.
I mean, I don't yell, I just getsometimes irritated from things.
Right.
You know what I mean?
Um, every every let's talk aboutchef.
Now I'm not talking, I'm puttingmyself on the side as a business
owner.
Yeah, of course.
I'm buying myself in thekitchen.
Yep.
And my I call it my my playround.
Yeah.
Because I it's I have a lot ofpassion when it comes to like
cooking and like like like beingin the kitchen.

(33:06):
Um the worst thing is for me isjust when mistakes starting to
be more repetitive.

SPEAKER_04 (33:13):
Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (33:14):
Uh it feels like you're starting to just jump on
my nerve.
Like stop stop doing that.
Yeah, yeah.
Stop doing that.
Stop doing that.
And I got to a point, I just getto a point, I'm like, okay, I'm
just gonna go to the walk-infreezer.
Okay.
A little cold therapy, and thenjust like go, okay, I'm good to
go.

SPEAKER_04 (33:34):
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
But at the same time, like youhave to be a little bit like
like you have to be urgent in akitchen, right?
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (33:42):
It's just like if you're too, let's say, if you're
too nice and soft with everyone,um they're not gonna look at
you.
That's my my point of view, asas an actual leader.
Because leader, you have to justlike kind of give and take.
Yep.
You know what I mean?
Um, you have to be on some pointuh uh uh the dishwasher, right?

(34:05):
You have to be on some point theline cock, you have to be the
baker, you have to be the prepguy.
Yeah, so you have to work allaround the kitchen just to show
your your team that the way I'mdoing it, you can also do it.
Right.
It's like I'm showing yourespect, show me some respect.
Yeah, that's it.
That's uh that that that's how Irun my kitchen.

SPEAKER_04 (34:22):
Well, there's something to be said about you
know you not asking, like it'slike I'm not gonna ask you to do
something that I wouldn't domyself.
Right?

SPEAKER_02 (34:31):
I mean, when when when I'm when I when you run a
nice and uh professionaloperation in the in the kitchen,
um and you have uh a team and amembers that they always listen
to you, um, that's when I'm inthat point right now that I'm
letting things go the way it is.

SPEAKER_04 (34:50):
Right.

SPEAKER_02 (34:50):
I'm not they burn your trust.
That's it.
Yeah, that's it.
They're doing the the rightmeasurements, they're doing the
right recipes, they're followingeverything by the book.
Yeah.
If you follow everything by thebook, that's that's what you
get.

SPEAKER_03 (35:04):
So you get no idiot sandwiches then you ever call me
a donut?
My favorite thing.
I am an idiot sandwich.
That was a good one.
That was a good one.
I love Gordon Ramsay.
I thought I would think he'sfantastic.

SPEAKER_04 (35:20):
He would be one of my top people that would love to
get on this podcast.

SPEAKER_03 (35:22):
I'd love to have sit down and have a beer with that
guy.
Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (35:25):
Everyone actually, not everyone, most of my staff
in the kitchen, they're like, Doyou know him?
You just look like himsometimes.
Who?
Because I do go crazy sometimes.

SPEAKER_03 (35:32):
Oh, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (35:33):
Yeah, I wish I could see him.
And then like, okay, just calmdown a little bit.

SPEAKER_04 (35:38):
I'm sure they like you know, they kind of respond
and expect that a little bit.
That's you kind of get what youget in the kitchen, right?
Yeah, but I mean uh that beingsaid though, running a kitchen
is one thing, and but running arestaurant is not an easy thing
to do.
It's not like speak to a littlebit about like you know, we have
rising costs, you have you knowa lot of other things outside of
just cooking recipes, right?

SPEAKER_02 (35:58):
Yeah, um I have always um something that I think
about that um it's not easy uhfor a chef just to open a
restaurant without having anactual management team that they
know about that business.
They know about the restaurantbusiness.

(36:19):
Because being a chef, you canyou can just like be in the
kitchen.
Um you know how to make food,you know how to do run all your
the operations, you do anamazing uh I don't know,
presentation, whatever, whateveryou do in the kitchen, you're
you're master in it.
But when it comes to themanagement, front of the house
management, right?
If you don't know anything aboutit, that's the worst thing when

(36:40):
it comes to customer service.
Right.
If you don't know how to docustomer service, yeah, from
like the customers walking fromthe front door till they leave
the table, there's steps tofollow.
And if you don't have that fullteam that you can trust, and
that's what we have at therestaurant, right?
If you don't have that full teamthat you can trust, it doesn't

(37:01):
matter if your food is good.
Fair enough.
If the food has been served toyou in the wrong way, um the
table is not clean, the youryour bottle, your your glass of
water is not filled, those smalllittle details affects affects
the whole business.

SPEAKER_01 (37:16):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (37:17):
So it's not about it's not about being a chef,
it's about being the wholerestaurant.
Yeah.
So because that's why sometimesthat's what I get to to that
point that was talking about uhabout earlier, that I'm more now
uh getting engaged with the withthe guests.
Right.
And we can start to see thatwhen it comes to Google reviews,

(37:38):
they're starting to mention theowner's name, the manager's
name, the server's names.
That's good, you know what Imean?

SPEAKER_04 (37:43):
So um and I'm sure that now that you you have a
staff that you can trust, comingup, being able to come out of
the kitchen and interact withthe dining room helps a lot
because everyone wants to talkto the chef, right?
Yeah, big time.
Yeah, like, oh my god, like,yeah, hey, how are you?
Yeah, exactly, right?
It's true.
So, uh, but I mean, and on topof that, it's like so that makes
total sense.
I mean, you have to know how tocook, you have to know how to

(38:05):
like do the customer service,and you also have to know just
the business.
And I'm sure that's where yourbusiness partner helped, though,
because I mean you had to startwith just being in the kitchen,
right?

SPEAKER_02 (38:13):
Uh Abud, he's um he's my like I don't know what
to say about this guy.
He's an amazing person.

SPEAKER_03 (38:21):
He's not here, is he?
He's not here right now.
No, man, that's too bad.

SPEAKER_02 (38:23):
Yeah, nice guy, yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Um Abud, he's my he's mybackbone.
Yeah, like he's my big brother,uh, he's my best friend, he's my
business partner.
Yeah, um, he's he's everythingto me.
Like, it's because therelationship that I have between
me and him, it's not only aboutthe business.
Yeah, you know what I mean?
Like, we talk to each otherabout a lot of things, like

(38:46):
personal stuff, yeah.
You know, we help each otherlike in so many different
situations.
Um, and that's what built ourrelationship more and more and
more to get to that part ofbecause he trusted me a lot, and
he gave me what I asked for, andI gave him what I know and what

(39:07):
he asked for too.
So that's why um, like he showedup here, and I would love to see
him most of the time, sitting onthe bar, having a drink,
enjoying his time at his ownrestaurant, but he's letting me
running the show.
Like he will never just try tostep uh in my foot about like

(39:27):
talking.
You cannot do that.
Right, no, because he trusted meand he knows what I'm giving to
this to this place, and uh, butif if he has any complaint or he
wants to change something, yes,we will sit and talk about it
and have a conversation.

SPEAKER_03 (39:41):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (39:41):
Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (39:42):
So we're going to that, like, I mean, we see the
show.
I mean, I'm I'm I'm on DisneyPlus here today.
I'm sorry, man.
But again, the show Chef, haveyou seen or heard about that
show?
There's a show called Chef now.
Is it called Chef?
The the one with Jeremy, uhwhat's the one on Disney Plus
there?
Um gosh, maybe it's not calledChef.
The kitchen?
Is that is that isn't it likethe the bear or something?

(40:02):
The bear scrapers.
Oh my gosh.
Now, what do you think of thebear?
What do you think of the bear?
Now, do you feel like that's uhan accurate representation?
I'm I'm telling you.

SPEAKER_02 (40:10):
Yeah that's that's the first the first word that
word that I said when youmentioned the bear.
Um I felt I felt two things thatI'm not joking.
Yeah, yeah.
I felt two things the first timeI watched it.
Goosebumps, anxiety.

SPEAKER_03 (40:27):
Okay.
But is that how you feel?
You know, that's not how youfeel in your real life.

SPEAKER_02 (40:30):
Because that's how I'm running this.
Because that's because becausethe way he's doing things, yeah,
yeah.
Um, I don't see myself doing it.
But I'm seeing someone elsedoing it in front of me.
I'm like, is that me?
Is that is that me during thethe supper rush and like running
the orders and like givingorders left and right to the
boys?
That's me.
And the pressure.
Yeah, there's one episode that Icompletely forgot what like
which episode when he renovatedthe restaurant and he like

(40:53):
reopened it again.
Yes, yeah, and he had that newcrew and new member teams like
uh with with him, and um he wasrunning uh a very busy night,
that's the opening night, and hegot to a point he was like
stressed about the whole thing,and he didn't know what to do.
I I saw myself when I run to thewalk-in freezer, sometimes it's

(41:16):
like just breathing, yeah.
And that's what happened to himtoo.
Yeah, yeah.
That's why he got stuck, he gotstuck in the walk-in freezer, or
like whoever.

SPEAKER_03 (41:25):
I'll be honest with you, I kind of always loved the
idea of being a chef.
Then I watched that show and I'mlike, yeah, you know, I got it.
It's pretty good.

SPEAKER_02 (41:30):
I don't know if I can handle that kind of uh
intensity.
It's not easy to be a chef.

SPEAKER_04 (41:34):
And like I like, I like to cook.
I love cooking too.
But I uh Gordon Ramsey, like Isaid, he's a top five.
Like there's probably like fivecelebrities that I would say
like that I actually like trulywant to meet.
And he's one of them.
Yeah, I love the way I just loveeverything about him, like all
the shows that he's put out andeverything.
I like watching cooking shows.
Yeah, food's a big part of mylife.

(41:55):
I just love I think you canreally learn a lot about people
and everything, and just food'sdelicious and all that stuff.
But I um I think the thing aboutlike I just don't think I could
I think it would ruin my love ofit if I was like, I'm gonna do
this.

SPEAKER_03 (42:10):
Yeah, right?

SPEAKER_04 (42:10):
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (42:11):
So like that's that's kind of what I was
getting to.
Like your work-life balance,like that's that's where I saw
the real like you know what hewas missing.
Like, you know, he he had nolife outside of that kitchen.
So there's no balance, you'rejust working, dude.
That's it.
Like 100% of the time.
You wake up, you're planningyour your breakfast.

SPEAKER_02 (42:29):
I put my life for my job.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (42:32):
It's not kidding.
We we went out one night, we hadsome drinks one Friday night,
and he said he was like, This isthe first time I've been out on
a Friday night for drinks withfriends in like years.

SPEAKER_03 (42:43):
I mean, that's good and that's bad, right?
Like, I mean, not and I'm notbeing critical.
I'm just saying it's good, butit's also like, you know, you
gotta you gotta.
I mean, there's a lot of lifethat you want to live, and you
don't want, you know, you theseare your best years in some
senses, right?

SPEAKER_02 (42:54):
I agree.

SPEAKER_03 (42:55):
You want to meet uh uh a person or whatever.

SPEAKER_02 (42:58):
I will I will tell you the way I see things right
now.
Sure.
I lived my life.
I lived my life to the max.
Okay, to the fully.
So you're happy.
I'm I'm happy, but there'salways a part missing.
And no one's no one's perfect.
No, no, no.

SPEAKER_03 (43:13):
That's true.
Um we're always looking, evenwhen we think we have it, we're
always looking for some littlepiece.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 (43:19):
But the the way I would uh I would explain the
idea about why I'm that into itthat deep, and like I'm just
like sacrificing my life to it.
Um I lived my life, I enjoyedmyself a lot, and for me, it's
now to be to step in more to thematurity life, to just like
focus on yourself as abusinessman.

(43:41):
I don't want to just like makemoney and go spend it left and
right, you know what I mean?
I want to make money to investin that money to make more.
Right.
In a way to be more to get to apoint, be more like wealthy.
Um I have uh I have savings formy future.
I can I can buy a house, I canuh have a family, a wife that I

(44:02):
don't have.
Um and um and that's that that'sit.
That's how I say it.
That's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 (44:09):
Yeah, yeah.
No, I mean that's all I thinkabout.
It's like, you know, the thesetimes, like, you know, you're I
know you're working so hard.
Yeah.
And uh I always just wonder,like, you know, do you feel
happy like about it?
Do you feel like you're missingthat piece?
Like, you know, it's gonna behard to get out and meet that
girl if you're here everyFriday.

SPEAKER_02 (44:24):
I mean, I mean, whatever, whatever, whatever's
gonna happen.
Anytime's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_03 (44:30):
So do you want to put your number in right now?
We got any nice beautiful womenlistening.
I know too.

SPEAKER_04 (44:36):
But there is, you know what though, but there is
something to be said.
So good.
Exactly.
There's something to be saidabout like working in the
hospitality industry where youare working when everyone else
wants to be off.

SPEAKER_02 (44:48):
Yeah, exactly.
Weekends, yeah, like I said,like you just mentioned, uh, I
don't I don't remember like justI have like weekends off.
Right.
Forget about like um I took avacation, went 25 days to
Lebanon.
But um Christmas Eve, ChristmasEve.
I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm wrapping andpacking things for people to

(45:08):
come pick it up around like 630, 7 o'clock.
I'm still at the restaurant.
Right.
New Year Eve, it's my bestnight.
Oh yeah, you guys do like likebelly dancers and stuff in the
joint?
Just like a club, uh, get to apoint.
But like at the same time, butlike it's it's my favorite night
when I see, and it's also likefor me, uh seeing people every

(45:30):
time happy have that when theyeat something.
Oh my god, like I just likealways look from the kitchen,
yeah, like seeing the reactionon their faces.
But uh 11 30, quarter 12 on NewYear Eve, I'm in bed, man.
I'm I'm in bed.
Don't call me.
I don't want to celebrate.
I'm just I don't want I justwant to go home and relax.
I too, but I'm just a grumpy oldguy.

(45:52):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (45:53):
So yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (45:55):
So um, as much as the restaurant industry uh you
know can be a tough gig here,but you're talking about you
were talking about growth andeverything.
So is there uh Oliba Deu comingor like what do you see next for
you?

SPEAKER_02 (46:08):
No, um we're taking me and Abu the ladder like step
by step.

SPEAKER_04 (46:12):
Yep.

SPEAKER_02 (46:13):
Uh we need to focus more uh on a lot of things here
that we're gonna introduce tothe city when it comes to more
new items in the menu, uh newtype of like events that we're
going to do.
Um but uh we're taking thingseasy.
Yeah, because I don't want tomake that big step forward and

(46:35):
then lose everything.
Fair.
Right.
Just taking things.

SPEAKER_03 (46:38):
I'm sure like you know, you're just talking about
Matt the Belly Dancers, but likethat cultural experience was
people to get out for a nightlike that.
I mean, you could probably, Imean, if you found a way to do
that every month, yeah, peoplewould probably be fighting each
other to get in.

SPEAKER_02 (46:50):
That's what's happening, actually.
Yeah.
Okay.
Uh summertime, we don't doLebanese nights.
Yeah.
Because it's just always like uhthere's a lot of people, a lot
of like reservations that likethey just won't come to enjoy
just the food.
Sort of on the patio.
It's quiet.
Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 (47:05):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (47:05):
But uh our first Lebanese night is coming on uh
November 1st.
It's actually a Saturday.

SPEAKER_03 (47:10):
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (47:10):
But the funniest thing is that we post uh on
Instagram, on our Instagram, uh,I think uh two weeks ago.
And the same day, it's fullybooked.

SPEAKER_03 (47:20):
Fully booked.

SPEAKER_02 (47:20):
It's fully booked already.
Amazing, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (47:22):
Yeah so people I think people want that.
They want to enjoy thatauthentic experience because
they're part of something.

SPEAKER_02 (47:27):
Yeah, because it there's not only like uh
dancers, yeah, it's like there'sa DJ.
Yeah also and there's Oh, I sawit all today.

SPEAKER_03 (47:34):
It looked pretty cool.
Yeah, I checked you out, yeah.
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (47:36):
And there's like um um that night, like we serve um
around 12 different types ofcold and hot meza, plus the main
course.

SPEAKER_03 (47:44):
Oh so yeah, best meal of your life, where you go
just uh you're just sittingthere for a party.

SPEAKER_04 (47:49):
Oh, that's already sold out?

SPEAKER_03 (47:50):
Yeah, sold out.
Too bad.
It is.
Well, too bad, folks.
We missed that one.
Yeah, but but but uh I guess agood plug to follow you on
Instagram and make sure youdon't miss the next event
because that could be prettyhot, man.
That'd be a pretty cool thinggoing.
And I think if that keeps going,you'll people wait for it all
the time.

SPEAKER_02 (48:07):
Oh, that's amazing.
And we got every time likemessages when's the next
Nebuchadnezzar night?
When's the next Lebanese night?
And then we'll be like, justkeep following our social media
and like it will show there.
We will post about it.

SPEAKER_04 (48:19):
That's all so I think uh we move into 10
questions.

SPEAKER_03 (48:24):
Yeah, man.
So we're already getting to ourwrap-up questions now.
Okay.
This is a game we play withevery guest, or not every guest,
but every guest for the last,what, 50 episodes, Matt, or so?
Yeah, something like that.
Or something like that.
Okay.
And we just start asking people10 questions.
They're all over the place.
They're just kind of some aresilly, some are serious.
I love that.
They're weird.
Okay.
Cool.
Matt, if you want to make upone, go ahead, okay?
Uh uh, these were uh some ofthese were randomly generated,

(48:47):
so I don't even know what we'rein for.

SPEAKER_04 (48:48):
I like question number one, so okay.

SPEAKER_03 (48:50):
So I'll I'll do a question.
Or you go to go ahead withquestion number one.
I'll do question.
Okay.

SPEAKER_04 (48:53):
So question number one.
Okay.
If you could cook for any threepeople, dead or alive, who would
they who would be at the table?

SPEAKER_02 (49:02):
Dead or alive.
First, my mom.
Um should have gone Ramsey.

SPEAKER_01 (49:15):
Oh, alright, there you go.

SPEAKER_02 (49:17):
And um my god.
Can I cook for the wholeScorpions team?
Uh Scorpions uh band?
Sure.
Okay.
I love Scorpions.
Yeah.
My favorite song is Wouldn'thave Change.
Very cool.
There you go.
I love it.

SPEAKER_03 (49:34):
Alright.
Scorpion, there you go.
All right.
You work all day.
Yeah.
Long day.
Exhausting hours.
What's your comfort food after along day?
Oh my god.
You're going through thatMcDonald's drive-through, aren't
you?

SPEAKER_00 (49:48):
Double cheeseburger, please.

SPEAKER_02 (49:52):
To be honest, um okay.
I'm gonna put like me being on adiet.
I'm not on a diet.
I'm just gonna have like oh mygod, my comfort food meal at
home.
Yeah, yeah.
At home.
Um that will be uh a grilledcheese sandwich.

SPEAKER_03 (50:11):
Oh, nice.
Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 (50:13):
Wintertime, summertime grilled cheese
sandwich, winter time.
I'll add the roasted uh redpepper tomato soup with it.

SPEAKER_03 (50:19):
Yeah.
Okay, nice.

SPEAKER_02 (50:20):
I'll just dip any of it.

SPEAKER_03 (50:21):
You know what?
You know what I did when you'resick.
I was feeling like crapyesterday.
I had a grilled cheese sandwichand I had made pea soup the
night before.
Yeah, you ever had pea soup?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So it was uh it was perfect.
I love those questions, by theway.

SPEAKER_04 (50:35):
Okay, so that question number three is what's
one Lebanese dish that everyCanadian needs to try?

SPEAKER_02 (50:45):
That's that's tough.
Because I would that's that's agood I love that question.
Let me let me let me tell youwhy.
Um everyone let's say 90% lovesbeef tartare.
Yes.
Oh, I think.
Do we agree on?
You know what I'm gonna talkabout.
I like it.
Oh, yeah.

(51:06):
You need to try the Lebaneseversion of beef tartare.
It's incredible.
That's called kibbi nayi.
Yeah, kibi what?
Nayi.
Kibbi naine.

SPEAKER_03 (51:14):
Nay?
Kibbi nai Nayi, don't mess meup.
I'm just I'm really trying totell him trying to do that to
him.

SPEAKER_02 (51:19):
You can't do that to him.

SPEAKER_03 (51:21):
I got a kibina hearing problem.

SPEAKER_02 (51:22):
Kibbi naye.
Nay.
Kibbi naye, it's the Lebaneseversion of beef tartare.
Cool, cool.
Uh there's a lot of different uhspices in it.
There's onion, there's basil,different texture, it's more
creamy, but it's made fromalmost the same cut of the beef
tartare that you eat it.
It's so good.
I won't try that.
Yeah, it's it's really good.

SPEAKER_04 (51:42):
Yeah, I yeah, I remember we had it here the
night that we were sitting outthere having some drinks, and
yeah.
Chip Chip's not a fan of the thebeef tartare, so he was like,
nah, nah, nah, nah.
But I was like, man, he didn'ttry it for it.
He tried it before, yeah, but Idon't think he likes the like
the raw beef type of thing.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I got it.
But it's uh if you like beeftartare, it's elevated beef

(52:02):
tartare for sure.
Okay.

SPEAKER_03 (52:03):
Uh, question number four.
If you weren't a chef, whatwould you be doing?

SPEAKER_02 (52:07):
Interior design.
Interior design right away.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (52:10):
Oh, is that why this place is beautiful?

SPEAKER_02 (52:11):
It looks good, yeah.
I love it.
Yeah, really.
Yeah, I I just love it.

SPEAKER_03 (52:15):
It's cozy.
And we didn't even get a like uhthis is like old Lebanese money.

SPEAKER_02 (52:23):
I used to use it.
Like my ancestors.
I used to use it.

SPEAKER_03 (52:26):
Oh, like so 80s, 70s, yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Ancestors?
Well, maybe it was older thanthat.

SPEAKER_02 (52:30):
Yeah, around like I would say 60 years ago, 50 years
ago.
60 years ago, okay, cool.
Oh, yeah.
That's the first Lebanesecurrency.

SPEAKER_04 (52:38):
Awesome.
All right.
Question number five.
Have you ever cooked for anyonefamous and who were they?
No.
No?

SPEAKER_02 (52:46):
No, I would say no.
Okay.
Like famous, famous.
Oh, well, you know.
He just made us famous.
I'm you guys.
Yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_03 (52:54):
I mean, what are you talking about?
I didn't know where you asked,we're asking that question, man.
Well, yeah, it's just us.

SPEAKER_04 (52:58):
No, I don't know.
I mean, like the trailer packboys could have been in here for
all we know.
Nate.
Cindy Crosby could have broughtlike something here and look,
right?
Yeah, that was.
Nate McKinnon.
Yeah.
Maybe Brad Marchand brought thecup here.
I don't know.
Please.
But we're we're putting it outthere.
Put it out in the universe.

SPEAKER_03 (53:13):
We need to get some.
We I'd love to see Gordon Ramseypop down here, I think
personally.
I think he would be pass out.

SPEAKER_04 (53:18):
I'm going to at him a 16 times after this episode
comes out.
Because I want him to come here.
I don't know if he has, but Iwant him to come here.
And if he does come here, hewas?

SPEAKER_02 (53:27):
Yeah, like like years and years ago.
That's what I heard.
Cool.
That's what I heard.

SPEAKER_04 (53:31):
If he comes here, we're doing another episode here
and we're doing it with him.
I'll be like this.
Exactly.
Just looking at him.
Exactly.
I want him to call me an idiot,Samuel.

SPEAKER_03 (53:42):
Question number six.
All right.
What's one of the strange foodtrends you've seen come and go
in your lifetime?
Like just anywhere through yourthrough the industry, food like
trends.
They come and go.

SPEAKER_02 (53:57):
You know, I would I would not say it's a it was a
food trend.
Um because you know those umroll-ups?
The fruit roll-up?
The fruit roll ups stuff withlike the ice cream thing.
Yeah, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
That's so disgusting.

SPEAKER_03 (54:11):
Yeah.
I never hated it.
I never tried it.

SPEAKER_02 (54:13):
I hate it.
So when they just like put icecream in the in the in the fruit
roll-up, it would just like belike a cracker, like like it's
like like a chips from theoutside.
Yeah, sounds gross.
I mean, I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 (54:23):
People loved it.

SPEAKER_02 (54:23):
Yeah, I don't.
You know what?

SPEAKER_03 (54:24):
But I hated frozen yogurt.
People got crazy about frozenyogurt and took over the whole
world.
Everybody was so I like frozenyogurt.
You do?
Yeah, I do.

SPEAKER_04 (54:31):
Because it's like it's like it's like less calorie
ice cream.

SPEAKER_03 (54:34):
Yeah, until you like go and put skittles in it and
stuff, and that's all they weredoing.
They were just putting all thesemixers at it.
I didn't put that much yet.

SPEAKER_02 (54:40):
While you mix your frozen yogurt wood.
What do I mix my frozen yogurt?

SPEAKER_04 (54:43):
I just eat it.
I don't know.
I bought I bought frozen yogurtwith Nova Scotia blueberries the
other day.
Like, well, I say the other day,but weeks ago now.

SPEAKER_03 (54:50):
Yeah, where's that at?
Where'd you get that?

SPEAKER_04 (54:52):
At the store, the grocery store.
Um, and you know what the crazything is, it's like it was
delicious.
Nova Scotia blueberries, it wasfantastic.
And then when you look at it,it's like half the calories that
ice cream's at.

SPEAKER_03 (55:02):
Okay.
So it's pretty good.
Sorry, sorry.
I didn't mean to, I didn't knowit's fine.
All I was saying is there was atrend where that was frozen
yogurt bars absolutelyeverywhere for like two years.

SPEAKER_04 (55:11):
And I actually think that was a problem because the
first one that came down, it wasgreat, it was full, it was
awesome.
Then what happened was ten morecame, and then it was like, oh,
we don't need ten of these inthe city.
We might need two, two, right?
And then it killed it all.
Like the the even the originalone away because it just
oversaturated.

SPEAKER_03 (55:32):
No, I think the craziest cookies.
Like, have you noticed this?
Like cookie crumble, likecookies, donuts, yeah.
Like those cookies are like athousand calories of cookies,
maybe they're crazy.
Oh, like it's like a burger.
Yeah, seriously.
I'd much rather eat a burger.

SPEAKER_04 (55:44):
They're actually making burgers with donuts.
No way.
Yes, they're in burger week.
Burger Week, they had a burgerwith a donut here.
Yeah, donut on one each end witha burger.

SPEAKER_02 (55:52):
I didn't see that.
No.

SPEAKER_04 (55:54):
Alright, where are we now?
So, question number seven.
So uh that's me, right?
I think so.
Okay, so we know that the Iraqgoes well with uh the food here,
but what drink pairssurprisingly well with Lebanese
cuisine that you might notexpect?
Beer.

(56:14):
Beer.
Well, beer, yeah.
Yeah, that's good.
Is beer really big in uhLebanon?

SPEAKER_02 (56:23):
Yeah, we have our own uh breweries also in
Lebanon.

SPEAKER_04 (56:26):
And you didn't bring any back for me.
I see how it is.

SPEAKER_02 (56:28):
I thought we were cool.
Actually, you know what?
Um then SL theaters they'rebringing now a Lebanese beer.
What's it called?
Uh Almaza.

SPEAKER_04 (56:36):
Almoza.

SPEAKER_02 (56:37):
Yeah, like a diamond.

SPEAKER_04 (56:38):
Wants to try it.
Alma go for it.
Yeah, 100%.
Question number eight over toyou.

SPEAKER_03 (56:42):
What's the best compliment a diner ever gave
you, a guest?
One of the compliments like justkind of stayed with you over all
these years.

SPEAKER_02 (56:53):
Um my god, I completely forgot all because
one time I actually posted astory on my on my social media.
Um I I don't know.
I it was like if if I was a foodinspector or something, because
the food was so good, I wouldput you in jail right now.

(57:13):
Like just to keep you.
Something like that.
I I that's what but that'sthat's that's the idea about it.
And I was like, Yeah, well,well, thank you.
Yeah, I mean, I got a lot of lotof compliments.
That's what I like to engagemore with uh with the guests.
And like mostly like, oh my god,like we never had like authentic
Lebanese food like that.
The taste of the hummus.

(57:34):
We got a lot of comments aboutthe hummus, like compliments
about the hummus.
The hummus here is amazing.

SPEAKER_03 (57:37):
Yeah, we'll say it again.

SPEAKER_04 (57:38):
Yeah, fantastic.
So, question number nine.
Uh, I already know the answer tothis, so I think maybe we should
change it up because I we we didalready ask this through the
show.
It was gonna be what's yourfavorite drink on the menu, but
I'm guessing it's this.
So on on the on your drink menu.

SPEAKER_02 (57:52):
Oh, the bomb menu?
Yeah.
No, it's not that.

SPEAKER_04 (57:53):
It's not that okay.
What's your favorite drink onthe menu?

SPEAKER_02 (57:55):
It's spicy G.

SPEAKER_04 (57:56):
Oh, I know.
So what's the spicy?
The spicy G.
Just break it down real quick.

SPEAKER_02 (58:00):
It's spicy G, it's a spicy margarita with a twist.
Okay.
It is really good.
And why it's called spicy G?
That's when when when likeguests ask, it's um it's linked
to our chef personality.
Spicy.
That's you in the kitchen.
That's me in the kitchen.

SPEAKER_04 (58:15):
It's spicy margarita, and then it like you
you put something in it though,right?
Strawberry and like uh yeah.
Because it's almost hazy andcreamy looking.

SPEAKER_02 (58:23):
It is, and there's like a uh salted, salt trim also
on it, too.
I had it the night we were outthere.
That's really it's really good.
I love it.
All right, question 10.

SPEAKER_03 (58:31):
What's next for Chef Gusiness or personal?
Whatever you want to say.
Family.
Family.
Family.
He's looking, ladies.
We're dropping it twice here.

SPEAKER_04 (58:45):
We can be the afternoon punk dating service.

SPEAKER_03 (58:48):
Welcome to the afternoon pink connection.
Uh we'll be doing our first ourfirst uh singles event right
here.
There you go.
We could do speed dating.
We'll set it up, man.
Uh yeah, yeah, we can set thisup on the phone.
Oh, November.

SPEAKER_04 (59:01):
You know what?
Actually, what we really youknow afternoon pink connection
sounds good.

SPEAKER_03 (59:05):
I just said that.
I like it.

SPEAKER_04 (59:06):
I think it's great, but also why don't we do like
our own little uh version of TheBachelor, but with Chef G.
There you go.
Yeah, yeah.
What's that?
Like The Bachelor.
Oh my god.
Yeah, we'll do we'll do that,we'll do that with you.
Except like, you know, you youyou give them like grape leaves
if they're if they're if theystay.

SPEAKER_03 (59:24):
They're all from Darwin, and if and and and you
just give them like a bridgepass to go home if you're like
there's no bridge pass.
There's no bridge.
Oh, yeah.
I'm a lot of times.

SPEAKER_04 (59:32):
Who's gonna give them grape leaves instead of
roses?

SPEAKER_03 (59:38):
I take I take a cheese roll.
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (59:41):
Alright, so that's next.
So family's next.
All right.

SPEAKER_03 (59:43):
And uh, Matt, you could do last call there, boy.

SPEAKER_04 (59:45):
All right, so yeah, so we have our last call, which
is the final question that weask everyone.
Um, and that is what is onepiece of advice that you were
given that you'd like to sharewith us and our listeners?

SPEAKER_02 (59:56):
Um I would say um go.
Growth doesn't always look likeuh progress.
Oh.
And um because sometimes it's uhit's quiet and um it's
uncomfortable, yeah, and that'swhat like what not the others
can see.
But it um but that's when likeum I would say have like the

(01:00:21):
most value.

SPEAKER_03 (01:00:22):
That was great.
Okay, that was fantastic.
Okay, thank you so much, myfriend.
Yeah, thank you.
Pleasure meeting you, thank you,pleasure and having a drink with
you.
Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_04 (01:00:30):
Thank you.