46When Fakih arrived from Lebanon in 1999, he didn’t know how to write a resumé. Now he owns the fastest-growing Middle Eastern restaurant chain in North America, with 30 Paramount Fine Foods locations in Canada and dozens more either opened or in the works across the world, from Florida to Pakistan. Moved by the experience of Syrian refugees, he vowed to hire up to five refugees at each of his restaurants. That’s as many as 150 jobs, more than half of which he’s already filled.
Friends in high places:
Political power players Kathleen Wynne, Justin Trudeau and Hazel McCallion.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/toronto-50-most-influential-2016-mohamad-fakih/&title=Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #46, Mohamad Fakih&picture=https://cdn.torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/mohamad-fakh.jpg&description=Mohamad Fakih
Owner, Paramount Fine Foods
46When Fakih arrived from Lebanon in 1999, he didn’t know how to write a resumé. Now he owns the fastest-growing Middle Eastern restaurant chain in North America, with 30 Paramount Fine Foods locations in Canada and dozens more either opened or in the works across the world, from Florida to Pakistan. Moved by the experience of Syrian refugees, he vowed to hire up to five refugees at each of his restaurants. That’s as many as 150 jobs, more than half of which he’s already filled.
Friends in high places: Political power players Kathleen Wynne, Justin Trudeau and Hazel McCallion.
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