Interview with Joe Rustom from Parkallen Restaurant
“I went to Italy in May for a cooking trip and was away for May, June and July. I visited Syria and I got married…I saw her striking green eyes and said, “Oh wow, who’s that?” We got introduced, hit it off and I extended my one month visit to three months and we got married. I had no idea my little cooking trip was going to turn into a marriage.”Joe’s parents left Lebanon in 1976 when the civil war broke out. He was born in Lebanon in 1972. Recently, Joe went back to the Middle East where he fell in love with a Syrian woman. Since in Syria there is no courting, the relationship proceeded quickly to a marriage and Joe’s mother was flown in to meet the family. The wedding was held in Syria, and now as the citizenship paperwork takes a few months to process, Joe eagerly waits for his new bride.
1. When did you first become interested in the restaurant business?
My mom worked for Grant MacEwan College as a head chef. Then, because of her bad English she couldn’t go any further than that. I truly believe that if she had become a manager for that company, this restaurant wouldn’t have come about. At the time, my dad was working on the sewage and infrastructure of Millwoods while Millwoods was being built. My parents put together some money and bought this space. Literally, I grew up in the restaurant business. My parents opened up the Parkallen in 1980. I’m 34 now, and so it’s pretty much been three quarters of my life. I’ve done everything from cooking, dishwashing, to delivering pizzas at one point in time. So unlike some educated chefs who went to the NAIT program, I never did. But I learned everything as I was growing up.
2. What are the most significant joys and struggles of being an independent restaurant owner?
Relationships. Obviously, I just got married at the age of thirty-four. There was no physically possible way I could have gotten married before that because we had other restaurants in other locations. It was very difficult.
Greatest joy though. I am now pretty much second generation owner in our establishment. And watching my nephews and nieces be born and thinking, “Wow, in ten years time I can ask them and start helping.” I love the restaurant business. I’ll be honest, it used to be a lot more lucrative than it is today. Edmonton has grown so much since we first started. However, money is not joy. It is just an essential. Like any other occupation, if you really enjoy what you’re doing money is secondary. Joy is watching kids who I grew up in the neighborhood with, come here with their families and saying, “There’s Joe. He used to deliver us pizza.” It’s so fun, it’s wild. Becoming known in the area as the guy who makes a great pizza.
3. Do you have a family? Are they involved in the restaurant?
Both parents still won’t retire. They love it just as equally as I. It’s been our life. It’s been a good life for them in Canada. They feel God gave them this, and he’s treated them well with it. They have a beautiful home and kids. They have fulfilled their life because of this restaurant and Canada has helped them.
4. How are you involved in the community around you?
Yes, quite a bit. We have six major charities that we participate in quite a bit. Because of the community, Parkallen, obviously we have devoted our whole business around this little community. Even the name Parkallen restaurant is from the community. We’ve watched it grow from a middle class community to almost an upper class community. We feel it was always our duty to become a part of it, and that has spun of to a whole bunch of charities that so many people in this community have. From Make a Wish Foundation to Kid’s Cottage to the Sorrentino’s Compassion House. There are six major charities just from this little location. I think by doing so, we get a lot of respect and a lot of people coming here because we’re generous as well. I think we’ve lasted this long because we care about the place, we respect our clientele; we respect our employees who have been with us for years. We take pride in what we do, and that’s very important.
5. Where do the ideas for your food come from?
Restaurants on the Mediterranean, especially Italy and Lebanon are just phenomenal. I learned so much from those people. They’ve been doing it for longer than Canada’s been around. It’s just incredible.
6. How large of a role do ethics play in your choice of products? Do you buy locally, organically, fair trade?
We’re about 80% organic. We’ve been using Alberta suppliers for years. Prior to even becoming a big kind of popular movement. I call it a movement because I think people are finally getting smart out there and realizing that Alberta really does have the resources and has everything that’s good. Great products. Because we’re the sole owners and sole buyers, we get to pick and choose what we want. Between my dad and I, we do shopping on almost a daily basis and we go to places that only have Alberta products.
This sort of stuff is not just important for us, but it’s good for our economy. If everybody is buying from the California market, our farmers are starving. The California market is huge and it is next to impossible to compete. Why wouldn’t you buy a BC apple instead of a California apple? Because of price, well that’s a price. If you help out the BC farmers now they will be able to reduce the price to be comparable to the California farmers. Since we aren’t all jumping on the same bandwagon and we don’t understand economics, most just buy what is cheapest.
7. What are some of your interests/hobbies outside of the restaurant?
My passion is wine and art. I’ve been collecting since my dad taught me how and what wine even tasted like. You know, they say scotch is the nectar of the gods, I saw that wine is the rest of the gods. It’s just amazing, it’s the best. It makes you feel good, doesn’t make you get intoxicated until the point you can’t breathe. Wine is a mature drink, but I see it becoming more and more fashionable. I’m happy because I collected wine because of my passion. Well it’s my passion and I want to pass it on to people. I want to pass on the beauty. Just imagine in 1945 somebody made this wine. Just imagine that. It’s not only historic. Somebody back then physically did it. Unlike today when machines make and bottle the wine. I want to tell people that at our restaurant, not only do we take pride in food, but wine more so even. Wine believe it or not takes more time that food, to make. I have over 12, 000 bottles. Accumulating this wine over the years, my dad started
and I became more heavily into it. A lot of countries, believe it or not, estate sales. Most people don’t appreciate old wine as much as I do.
We have won all sorts of awards. I stopped participating in those awards though because I don’t know how true they are. We won the consumer’s choice award for best Mediterranean. I thought, “Oh great, wow.” Then they came knocking on my door wanting $4500. So the following year when they said that I won again, I said no thank you. Give it to somebody else.
8. Did you go to university? What did you study?
I don’t have a university education, nor do I brag that I’m educated. But I’ve traveled to so many unique places and seen so many different cultures.
9. What is your biggest pet peeve?
A dirty car. For some reason I’m really really picky about cleanliness. My vehicles have to be clean at all times. Not only just cars. Biggest pet peeve is seeing somebody really not taking care of what they have. That boils down to the fact that they don’t respect it and don’t take pride in it.
Also, I don’t like it when people come into this business and expect to make millions. People who come into this business for the money aspect lose what is the most crucial part—the pride involved. Many chains and franchises are just concerned about money. I refuse to go and eat at the “Big Box” restaurants. There is no pride involved. “Oh you’re finished eating? LEAVE.” I hate that. My parents made hardly any money the first few years. It was hard on us. It was really tough. But years later, they have accomplished more than most people have because they were persistent. They knew that they were not going to become millionaires, but they stuck it out and it became a beautiful lifestyle for them. We take pride in what we do and pass that on to our customers.
Note: This interview contains some outdated information since it was conducted August 2006. Joe’s wife recently arrived in Canada and the two have begun their life together.
