A Toledo restaurant owner recently got the chance to fulfill a dream.
Mahmoud “Mac” Rafati, owner of Mac and Tong’s restaurant, has lived in the United States for over 50 years. But recently he had been tussling with the desire to see his home country of Jordan one more time. A chance meeting and an unexpected phone call made that a reality.
Mac Rafati, right, owner of Mac and Tong’s restaurant, pictured with his son at the Jordan River. Photo Courtesy Mac Rafati
This summer, Rafati got a call from his son, who lives in Malibu, Calif. To Rafati’s surprise, his son told him King Abdullah II of Jordan was shopping in his organic food store. Seconds later, Rafati and the king were having a conversation.
“I thought my son was joking,” Rafati said. “[Then] I realized I was talking to the King of Jordan. It was a shock.”
The king asked Rafati about himself, and took an interest in his past in Jordan.
“He was very, very nice and polite, as a lot of people from [Jordan] are — hospitable. We talked for about four or five minutes. … He asked how long it had been since I’d been in the country, and I said ‘54 years.’
“I told him I am three days younger than his late father, and that my last wish would be to see Jordan again, and I hope I can make it.”
Three days later, Rafati received an email inviting him and his son to Jordan for a week, compliments of the king.
Born and raised in Jerusalem, Rafati joined the Jordanian army when he was 17. At 25, he went to Germany for schooling. After two years studying languages there, he came to the U.S.
Rafati found work with an engineering company in Pittsburgh, which led him to a connection that would again alter the course of his life.
“We built a paper mill for Owens-Illinois in Texas,” he said. “I came back up north to [return] to our office in Pittsburgh, but I got lost in Toledo. It’s a true story. It sounds like a joke, but it’s not.”
Some friends he met at the O-I mill in Dallas convinced him to stay in Toledo. As an added bonus, O-I gave him a job at their Toledo facilities.
Eventually, O-I asked Rafati to work on a few overseas projects. His work took him to the Soviet Union, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Egypt and Ecuador.
While in Toledo, Rafati met his wife, Tong, who was a manager for China Gate restaurant.
After five years of travel, Mac left O-I and he and Tong opened a restaurant, Our Place, located on South Reynolds Road. They ran the popular eatery for 15 years until they decided to retire.
For a time, the couple traveled around the West Coast, but in 2006 they felt the pull to return to Toledo, where they opened Mac and Tong’s, in the Ottawa Hills Shopping Center, 4330 W. Central Ave.
In August, Rafati, his son and his son’s girlfriend departed to take the king up on his offer. Upon arrival, they were picked up in a car and taken to visit with the king and queen.
The trio then set out to see the sights, which included traveling to the Dead Sea, the Jordan River and spending a night at a camp in the desert, featuring a feast and full amenities.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Rafati said. “They had everything. Lamb meat, chicken and vegetables. It was great! When dignitaries visit the King of Jordan, they go to this camp, have dinner and see the sunset in the desert.”
Rafati’s group spent the rest of the week visiting other points of interest before returning to the U.S. Now back in Toledo running his restaurant, Rafati said he is invigorated with a renewed love for his native country.
“I have so much pride in my homeland,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “I almost forgot about that, living here for so long. It brought back a lot of emotions, a lot of pride.”
