Salar Melli
Born in Iran in 1983, Salar immigrated to Edmonton in 2009 with $400 in his pocket and not a word of English in his vocabulary. He quickly rose to meet the difficulties that his new circumstances had thrust upon him, and worked for several years as a kitchen helper while he learned English. While demonstrating his hard work and tenacity, Salar continued rising to greater heights. By 2015, Salar was working as head chef at a fine dining restaurant, and was seeking ways to continue challenging himself. By 2017, he was owner, and head chef of his own restaurant, Vintage Fork.
Salar feels strongly about Edmonton heritage. In 2016, Salar and his wife bought a 100-year-old house in Alberta Avenue that was in terrible disrepair, and had it designated as an historic site with the City of Edmonton.
He takes satisfaction in bringing life to historic places, and desires to create experiences where people can step back in time and encounter the rich heritage of our city.
In 2017, the same year his daughter was born, Salar opened up Vintage Fork, a fine dining restaurant located in Edmonton’s historic Rutherford House. One of his favourite parts of owning Vintage Fork was the opportunity it presented in connecting with guests and sharing ideas, and he is excited to bring this energy to his campaign.
In March of 2020, Rutherford House closed their doors due to the pandemic, and his restaurant subsequently had to follow suit. Salar acted swiftly, and evolved Vintage Fork into a successful nationwide e-commerce business.
Seeing the effects COVID-19 has had on the city and its neighbourhoods inspired Salar to make a greater impact on his community. As a solutions-based thinker, he desires to bring real change and real results to what we experience together as a ward, and as a city.
Salar firmly trusts that Edmonton has a very bright future if we move in the right direction together.
Salar has stepped away from his e-commerce tea shop for his partner to operate, in order to dedicate 100% of his time to his campaign.