Langley chef Wassef Khouri has been cooking healthy vegan and vegetarian dishes for more than 30 years.
Born in Lebanon, Khouri got his start as a chef in Prince Edward Island, where he landed in 1978 after war broke out in his home country while he was away visiting relatives in Brazil.
Khouri went on to run a restaurant and catering business in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood. It was called the “Elegant Gourmet.”
After that, Khouri became a personal chef, preparing meals for clients in their kitchens.
“I use my tools, I go to your home,” he said.
Some of his clients told him he should get back into catering, Khouri said.
“So then I said, OK.”
His new venture is “MCC Meals.”
The “MCC” stands for “Mediterranean Culinary Cuisine” featuring classic dishes from Lebanon, where, Khouri said, healthy vegetarian cooking has been going on for a very long time.
At the official opening of the Salt Lane business last Saturday (Nov. 28), Khouri explained how healthy traditional Mediterranean cooking is, and how tasty vegetarian and vegan dishes are when they have been properly prepared.
“If you make it fresh, from scratch, it’s the best,” he said.
“Nothing from a can.”
The MCC menu includes vegetarian dishes like baba ghannouge and non-vegetarian dining like lamb, beef and chicken shawarma.
In addition to catering events, MCC Meals will offer a daily chef’s special takeout for lunch each Tuesday to Saturday.
Orders can be placed at www.mcccatering.com.
