This Sunday, Alforat will be giving away free shawarmas all day to honour the memory and generosity of their late cofounder, Ali Al Awadi.
Since opening late last year, Alforat has been serving up a variety of authentic Iraqi street foods, including shawarma sandwiches made with house-baked samoon bread, stuffed whole rotisserie chickens, charcoal-grilled meats, Iraqi-style falafel and more.
The restaurant was originally founded by Al Awadi and his father in the hopes of bringing true Iraqi flavours to Toronto. Sadly, on June 5 of last year—a few months before Alforat was set to open—Al Awadi was caught in a boating accident while trying to save his friend, and passed away without being able to see his restaurant’s success.
Not wanting to give up the hard work he had put into the restaurant, Al Awadi’s family pushed on and opened the doors to Alforat. His brother, Karar Awady, now leads the family-run spot and ensures that every dish served tastes just the way Al Awadi would have wanted it.
“Ali was a very generous, loving man that loved helping people,” he remembers. “He wanted to have a cooler near the entrance of the restaurant with pre-packed food for the people that can’t afford to buy food.”
In memory of his selflessness and kindness, the family has decided to officially name June 5 as Shawarma Day at Alforat.
“We want to be able to feed people in our community every year and bring them together to keep Ali’s generosity alive,” says Awady. “We would love to see our community come out and honour Ali for his heroism.”
On June 5, visit Alforat 1756 Victoria Park Ave to celebrate of the generous spirit that Al Awadi is remembered for. They’ll be giving away free shawarmas all day from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. In return for the shawarmas, all Awady asks is for visitors to leave their feedback so they can keep improving the restaurant that his brother would be proud to see.
