Dedicating 10% of the restaurant’s sales to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Orange County, the five-star and only Michelin-rated restaurant in Fullerton continued its third year of contributing to NAMI’s cause for mental health.
“We always want to make sure that we are helping people we can,” said executive chef Khan Saab, whose restaurant also received the Michelin Bib Gourmand award in 2021, “Supporting any cause and other businesses makes us feel even better.”
Since the opening in February 2020, the chef and his team have prioritized involving themselves in charity work. In addition to its partnership with NAMI, which started with its Grand Opening, the eatery launched the “Drive Up” initiative, which served no-cost meals and dry food every Friday for several months during the pandemic.
“We just want to help the city and help the people who are associated and have given us so much love,” Saab said.
Moreover, the chef has regularly catered complimentary meals to hospitals, schools, and places of worship, serving over 15,000 people in the community. The restaurant also supported families affected by the Pakistan floods in 2022, devoting 5% of all sales and raising over $2,500.
“We want to be part of the community and we feel the pain of people and then do whatever we can,” he said.
The Saab said he hopes his restaurant and culinary vision will continue growing while celebrating three successful years in business. According to the resaurants website, at the helm of the kitchen is culinary veteran and award-winning Chef Imran Ali Mookhi, who has trained under numerous Michelin-starred chefs in world-class kitchens and his traditional Indian flavors have earned him national recognition as Executive Chef at high caliber concepts including Tantra on Sunset, Tamarind of London in Newport Coast, Dosa, and most recently Tumbi in Santa Monica.
In November 2020, Chef Mookhi was highlighted in the highly-respected Michelin Guide for his contributions to Tumbi. Sticking to Halal tradition, Khan Saab is 100% alcohol-free. Alcohol-free is on the rise nationally in major metropolitan areas such as New York and London.
America is seeing a shift in attitude with a new focus on health and wellness trading in their booze in exchange for crafted mocktails specifically designed to be prepared sans liquor utilizing fresh and local ingredients.
The bar program, led by mixologists Craig Nemeth and Ahmad Hosseini, features craft mocktails alongside more traditional beverages like lassi, a dahi-based drink made with a blend of yoghurt, water, spices, and occasionally fruit. Standouts from the craft mocktail selection include the Mango Mojito made with mango nectar, as well as the Negroni and Peshawri Mule, which are crafted with Seedlip Non-Alcoholic Spirits.
“It makes us proud that we did something well,” Saab said, “We’re dedicated people, we work hard, we know what we do, and we just do our best to do better and better.”
229 E Commonwealth Ave, Unit A, Fullerton
Categories: Community Voices, Downtown, Health, Local Business, Local News