Meet Gabriel Khater.
“I was born in Lebanon, and I came to Canada in 1991. I came here for a better opportunity. There was a war back home and not much opportunity there. It was safer here and my brother was here, so I came to be with him, and decided to stay. I started making pizza back home, and when I came to Canada I started working at a pizza place in Bells Corners in 1992. I started my own pizza place [House of Pizza] three years later. I learned how to make sauce and have added to the original recipe over the years. I make my own sauce and I make my own dough, and that is the secret to good pizza. I’ve been in the pizza business for almost 24 years.
“Every pizza is my favourite pizza, but my favourite is the Gabby’s special which is a combination with added tomatoes and onions. My favourite pizza to make is the easiest one…pepperoni and cheese! I’ve eaten pizza in lots of different countries… Australia, London, England,in lots of cities in the USA, Houston, Boston, Cleveland, Tampa and Chicago. I always try the pizza everywhere I go to take back some ideas on how to make it better or to see if it is better than ours, but the country with the best pizza is Canada!” Collected by Ellen Bond
Humans of Kitchissippi is a special street photography project designed to introduce readers to some of the people who live, work, and play in Kitchissippi. Each instalment of HOK contains three elements: a photo, a name, and a quote from the subject that reveals a little bit about who they are. View our collection of humans right here.