Charles Khabouth

Khabouth was born in Beirut during early 1960s to father Antoine Khabouth who worked in hospitality and mother Margaret who took care of the household that in addition to young Charles consisted of his older brother and sister. to William Nader, a successful Beirut accountant and close family friend. However, realizing it would take years to build a name in fashion, he zeroed in on the nightclub business as his next area of interest. ==Career in hospitality==

Nightclub Ventures In 1984, Khabouth, then 22 years old, purchased a defunct gay club, The Manatee, at 11A St. Joseph Street in the Yonge & Wellesley area. After refurbishment, the venue was launched as Club Z. However, the venue quickly became a hotspot for the burgeoning rave culture in Toronto due to its vast space, rather than attracting its initially intended high-end crowd. Restaurants Immediately after his Stilife nightclub made a splash in the late 1980s, Khabouth began opening high-end restaurants in Toronto, seeking to transfer some of the upscale vibe from Stilife into the dining setting. However, especially when compared to his involvement with nightclubs, he's struggled for decades for similar recognition in the dining arena. Most of the criticism centers on the notion that his restaurants feel too much like nightclubs and are excessively flashy with too little substance i.e. exceptional food. Also, the fact that his late 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s eateries, some of them launched to major fanfare, only lasted a few years before either him pulling out of the venture or the venue altogether folding only further fueled the criticism. Despite significant investment and high profile launches, it wouldn't be until his partnership with Hanif Harji, a collaboration that began in early 2010s yielding 9 active restaurants as of late 2015, that Khabouth's dining venues such as Patria and Byblos have gotten very enthusiastic reviews for their food primarily. ==Personal==

In 1998, Khabouth married Libby Eber whom he first met during early 1990s while she worked as a hostess in Acrobat, a restaurant he co-owned with Franco Prevedello. They had two kids, son Charlie and daughter Maya, before divorcing in mid 2000s. ==References==