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1/7 Aleem Syed, owner of Toronto food truck called - The Holy Grill in Toronto, Ont. on Friday December 1, 2017. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network 2/7 Aleem Syed, owner of Toronto food truck called - The Holy Grill - poses with chuck of beef destined for a steak frites dish as he demonstrates food preparation in Toronto, Ont. on Friday December 1, 2017. 3/7 Aleem Syed, owner of Toronto food truck called - The Holy Grill - demonstrates food preparation in Toronto, Ont. on Friday December 1, 2017. Syed was paralyzed from waist down after being shot in a 2008 random shooting and has the first wheelchair accessible food truck. 4/7 Steak Frites, prepared by Aleem Syed, owner of Toronto food truck called - The Holy Grill - in Toronto, Ont. on Friday December 1, 2017. Syed was paralyzed from waist down after being shot in a 2008 random shooting and has the first wheelchair accessible food truck. 5/7 Aleem Syed, owner of Toronto food truck called - The Holy Grill - take fresh cut fries out of oil as demonstrates food preparation in Toronto, Ont. on Friday December 1, 2017. Syed was paralyzed from waist down after being shot in a 2008 random shooting and has the first wheelchair accessible food truck. 6/7 The Holy Burger, prepared by Aleem Syed, owner of Toronto food truck called - The Holy Grill - in Toronto, Ont. on Friday December 1, 2017. Syed was paralyzed from waist down after being shot in a 2008 random shooting and has the first wheelchair accessible food truck. 7/7 Aleem Syed, owner of Toronto food truck called - The Holy Grill - poses for a photo in his truck in Toronto, Ont. on Friday December 1, 2017. Previous Image Next Image

We caught up with Syed inside his 18×6-foot food truck where he whipped up steak frites and The Holy Burger for us near The Toronto Sun offices.

How did your food truck get its name?

“It’s called The Holy Grill because the doctors don’t understand how I made it. They said it was a miracle.”

What inspired you to keep being a chef after your shooting?

“I was really fortunate to have met an individual by the name of Pascal Ribreau, he’s a chef who is paralyzed and used to own (Toronto restaurant) Celestin. He came into my hospital room and was like, ‘Hey, I heard a lot about you. Would you like to come and see how I do things?” And I was like, ‘Let’s do it.’ I had cutting board on my lap and starting preparing his crab bisque and he was like, ‘You don’t have to worry. I think you’re going to be fine.'”

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How much of your recovery was mental?

“Basically, I just put a cutting board on my lap and started cooking and little by little, started getting used to my body and was figuring out what I could do and what I couldn’t do, to make my job a lot more easier. And that’s a huge mental fight.”

How difficult was it making the first wheelchair accessible food truck in the country?

“We had to make it in such a manner where I can move around with my staff (between three to six people) and it was all accessible to me and everybody else. Pretty much there’s an electronic ramp underneath the truck and I get in through there.”

How much curbside versus catering business do you do?

“We don’t do curbside. We are at the CNE. We’re at Budweiser Stage. And we do a lot of weddings and a lot of catering. Being from the community that I’m from, being Indian (and Muslim), we get married a lot (laughs).”