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WHEREAS, Khalil's Restaurant is celebrating their 50th Anniversary with a weekend celebration Friday and Saturday, June 17-18, 2022; and
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WHEREAS, Khalil's was founded by the late Mikhail and Agnes Khalil in 1972 and has been serving the finest Middle Eastern Cuisine and genuine hospitality for 50 years; and,
WHEREAS, Mikhail was originally from the Christian village of Miklos in Syria. He was a Syrian immigrant farmer and laborer. Agnes was born in Pittsburgh where she worked as a supervisor at the former Nabisco Bakery in East Liberty. In 1956, Agnes traveled to her family's home village of Miklos, Syria where she learned of her pre-arranged marriage to a farmer named Mikhail; and,
WHEREAS, Mikhail eventually joined Agnes in the Oakland neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh and began working as a butcher at Omar Khayyam on Baum Boulevard in 1960. In 1972, Mikhail and Agnes opened their own successful restaurant on Semple Street in Oakland; and,
WHEREAS, in 1977, Mr. Khalil and his wife bought Omar Khayyam, the restaurant he formerly worked in, and renamed it Khalil's. Three years later, they opened a third cafeteria-style restaurant in Oakland; and,
WHEREAS, eventually, they closed two restaurants and kept Khalil's on Baum Boulevard, where they ran the business together until Agnes passed in 2003. The delicious cuisine brought people in and Agnes' gracious and beautiful personality kept them coming back; and,
WHEREAS, throughout the decades, other relatives from Syria joined them here, working in the restaurants and building American lives of their own. Sadly, Mikhail passed away in 2018 and his daughters, Leila and Dalel took over running the family restaurant; and,
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby honor the legacy of the late Mikhail and Agnes Khalil who served with humility, kindness, generosity, and the love of God and congratulate Khalil's on their 50th Anniversary; and,
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