The Latest Hot Spot for Middle Eastern Eats Offers a Taste of Syria
Story by Lindsay Campbell, Photos by Sidney Ulakovic
Inside a small storefront on St. Paul Street, Khaleel Shekho takes a knife and grazes it along the outer layer of a roasted chicken. Pieces of seasoned meat fall into a pan below a vertical broiler.
“This is the first step to making chicken shawarma like how it is made back in Syria,” he explains.
At just 19 years old, it would be natural to mistake the recent Hammarskjold High School grad for an employee. But as owner, this space—known as Shekho’s Shawarma—is his, and one he hopes will enrich Thunder Bay’s culinary fabric. “We are making something different here. It’s delicious, different Syrian food,” he says. “I want people here to experience a taste of where I come from.”
Khaleel Shekho, owner of Shekho’s Shawarma
Shekho’s Shawarma, which opened its doors nearly two months ago, has been well received by the public. The menu offers items like fattoush salad with tomato, cucumber, lettuce, mint, and fried bread, shawarma over rice or in a pita, falafel, kebab, and poutine with shawarma meat or chicken. And Shekho, operating the establishment with his brother, sister, and parents, says he’s received a steady stream of customers that starts just before the lunch hour and continues right up to post-bar snack time—as late as 4:30 am. “We can’t turn hungry customers away,” he says. “They want to eat, so we feed them. We want to feed them.”
Entrepreneurship seems to be in his blood. Shekho, who was born in Syria and raised there for the first nine years of his life, was brought up by parents who had their own restaurant and car dealership and worked as estate dealers. When the civil war broke out in 2011, his family made the decision in 2014 to flee from violence and unrelenting conflict and moved to Kurdistan.
Shekho and his family arrived in Thunder Bay in February 2020, after realizing the health-care system in Kurdistan could not support his mother’s cardiovascular needs.
“I always knew that I wanted to have my own business,” Shekho says, adding that he was always helping his father in the kitchen from a young age. “I just knew that it would be difficult and that it would be a lot of work here in Canada.”
Shekho says he did not know English when he arrived in Canada four years ago. But being in high school while holding down multiple jobs allowed him to hone his language skills. His resumé is stacked with local business experience—he has worked at establishments like Roma Bakery, Popeyes, Little Caesars, The Keg, and Central Car Wash, all while he also bought, fixed, and sold used vehicles as a side hustle.
“I hope I can continue to grow,” he says. “Opening my doors this summer is the start of something more. I have big dreams and I hope Thunder Bay will continue to support [them].”
Shekho’s Shawarma is located at 17 St. Paul Street. For more information, including up-to-date business hours, follow @shekhos____shawarma on Instagram.
