But Shiber, who opened Fort Worth’s Aladdin Mediterranean Cafe in May 2017, feels wholly at home in the Arabic and Greek venue, especially when he is behind a grill.
“What keeps us going is we love what we do,” said Shiber, the restaurant’s manager.
Shiber fell in love with the restaurant industry shortly after moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth area from Jordan in the late 1980s. At age 20, while attending college, he opened a fried chicken and burger joint. Later, he and his uncle started up a local pizza and sub spot.
He said he loves making food and arranging dishes—the experience is “like magic.” When he greets customers at the restaurant, he said he gets slowly drawn back to the kitchen.
“This is my dream,” Shiber said. “I dream [about] how to make the plate look nice. I dream [about] how to make the food tender and juicy and flavorful. I dream that the pita comes soft, and people will eat it and know it’s coming straight from the oven.”
With shawarma plates, kabobs and more, the Mediterranean restaurant serves a blend of Arabic and Greek food, pulling together the different strands of Shiber’s diverse heritage.
The food featured on Aladdin’s menu has been served at his dinner table since he was a child, right down to the herbs and spices, he said. Dishes are made from memory, he said, born from both love and experience.
Everything from the meat to the vegetables to the pastries is prepared fresh, he said. Aladdin is a warm place, Shiber said. It is family-friendly and made special by the staff, who treat their customers with kindness and attentiveness. No one goes home hungry, he said.
“I have a lot of my customers come and tell me, ‘Oh, we had this in Egypt,’ or Jordan ...” Shiber said. “That’s the whole idea. I want you to taste the same food you eat overseas.”
Aladdin Mediterranean Cafe
9500 Ray White Road, Ste. 163, Fort Worth
817-741-6112
www.facebook.com/AladdinMediterraneanCafe
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., closed Sun.
