'We depart with hearts filled with joy': Mother-daughter-owned Persian restaurant in Vancouver closes

After nearly five years in South Vancouver, the owners of Celeshmet have closed their restaurant business.

The Persian restaurant at 6956 Victoria Dr was run by Behavar Khansari and her mother, Kian; the concept was based on Kian's experiences as a little girl in Tehran, according to the restaurant's now-expired website.

"Her cousins would gather in the small garden of their family home in Tehran to play a make-believe cooking game," reads the site. "They would prepare a delicious dish for their ‘guest’ elders and lovingly name it 'Celeshmet.'"

The term means "various and delicious," the owners shared.

Back in January, Khansari turned to the media to share Celeshmet's struggles with repaying pandemic-era CEBA loans. 

In early March, and with "bittersweet sentiment," the owners announced they would be closing the restaurant.

"While this decision is not made lightly, we depart with hearts filled with joy for the incredible journey we have shared together," states the Celeshmet team in a post on social media.

The group goes on to thank their customers.

"We want to express our sincere gratitude to our loyal customers for your constant and faithful support of our passion for Persian cuisine and culture during these four years and four months," reads the post.

The restaurant's last day of operation was March 13.

Find more delicious Vancouver food and drink video stories by following V.I.A's Forking Awesome TikTok account, @forkingawesomevancouver on Instagram, and signing up for our Forking Awesome newsletter delivered fresh to your inbox every Thursday.