While he may have lost all of his employees to Amazon and Uber, this has not stopped Ali Rashidian, owner of Caspian Grille in Lafayette Hill, from continuing to serve delicious Middle Eastern food as a one-man operation, writes Judy Rubin for the Chestnut Hill Local.

An Iran native, Rashidian is a local mainstay. He worked at local restaurants before opening a Flourtown Farmers Market booth in 1986.

“I learned so much from my customers,” he recalled. “They introduced me to so many recipes and shared ideas with me.”

He gave back to the community by hiring many of the neighborhood children to work with him at the market. He then opened Caspian Grille in 2002, leaving his Flourtown booth under the management of his son, Ali.

Rashidian makes food using fresh ingredients with no additives. There are always plenty of choices of prepared foods in the refrigerated display cases. These include fish, wraps, appetizers, salads, and Spanakopita, as well as vegetarian meals, chicken, and meat entrees.

There is also Rashidian’s famous cranberry relish, made by hand using cranberries, orange, apple, and pomegranate.

Read more about Caspian Grille in the Chestnut Hill Local.