Rawad Saghir, better known as Chef Ro to many Airdronians is committed to honouring his father's memory and legacy. He is doing so by offering free meals to those in need for the remainder of April and the entire month of May.

Saghir, owner of Pita Basket (30 Market Boulevard Southeast) was overcome with emotion when a Facebook memory popped up on his feed.

During the pandemic, when many restaurants were struggling, Saghir said his business was doing well and as a gesture of gratitude for his customers, but also as a way to give something back to the community, he announced via social media that he would be providing free meals to those who were struggling. 

"One of our memories popped up on social media and I thought of doing it; doing that once again and paying it forward to my dad. My dad used to be very proud of me when I did those types of things," he said. "I wanted to dedicate this giveaway to him."

Khalil Saghir, Rawad's father, passed away last January after battling pancreatic cancer. Saghir said his father was many things, including a successful businessman who owned restaurants in Edmonton, and in his home country of Lebanon.

Rawad Saghir (middle) said he is dedicating the meal give away he announced to his father, the late Khalil Saghir (right) (Photo provided by Rawad Saghir) Rawad Saghir (middle) said he is dedicating the meal giveaway he announced to his father, the late Khalil Saghir (right) (Photo provided by Rawad Saghir) 

"The big restaurant in Lebanon had 1,500 seats. It was in a tourist area, in the middle of the mountains, with beautiful scenery," Saghir said. "He was just a very good businessman and he loved communicating with the community and building relationships."

Although inflation has impacted Saghir's business, he underlined that what his father taught him is much more important.

"I thought I would do some good deeds on my dad's behalf; to show appreciation of the way he raised me: to always give to the needy and share my blessing with others," he added. 

Since the post was published on his Facebook page, Saghir said he has been inundated with messages, messages of support and messages taking him up on his offer.

"I'm trying my best to get back to everybody and I had a lot of people reach out that had disabilities or don't drive," he said. "I am going to dedicate my days off [Sundays and Tuesdays] to do some food hampers or just deliver food to houses."

Saghir asked that those who are messaging him be patient with him and give him one day's notice for meal requests. 

Reflecting on the memories with his father, he said that while his father was a role model in business affairs, he was also a role model for being a good person.

"He taught me to always give back and build relationships with people; become friends with my clientele," he said. "I just love being a part of a community like [Airdrie]," Saghir reflected. "It's good to see that humanity still exists and there are a lot of good people out there." 

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