Don't Order Pizza at Tawakal

When he bought Mateo’s Pizzeria & Deli on Devonshire Street in 1992, Abdul Akhundzadah thought it was a shrewd business move. People in Chatsworth have always loved Italian food, and a drive through the northwest San Fernando Valley or an internet search for Italian eateries in the area comes up with countless results.

But as an Afghan-born Pakistani Muslim immigrant, Akhundzadah felt out of place owning an Italian restaurant because consuming alcohol and pork is forbidden in Islam. While Akhundzadah continued to serve pepperoni and sausage pizzas, business plunged after he stopped selling alcohol.

“The first restaurant was a mistake,” said Akhundzadah, a slim 44-year-old with a bushy black beard and easy smile. An observant Muslim, Akhundzadah said after a year God pointed him in a new direction. “He didn’t want me to get into this business. Maybe that’s why I was not successful.”  

Akhundzadah converted his pizzeria into a Pakistani restaurant and named it “Tawakal,” which in Arabic means “trust in God.” Akhundzadah hasn’t looked back.

Today, Tawakal, at 21617 Devonshire St., is Chatsworth’s only halal restaurant, which means the ingredients in Akhundzadah’s spice-infused tandooris, kabobs, and biryanis are prepared in accordance with Islamic law. Like kosher meats in Judaism, halal meats are slaughtered with a “quick, deep stroke across the animal's throat with a perfectly sharp blade,” according to the Meat Science & Technology Center at Texas A&M University.  This method is widely recognized as the most humane method of slaughter because of its swiftness. But just as importantly, it rapidly drains the blood, which is necessary to render the meat both halal or kosher.

“Blood is the dirtiest part. All the diseases come out of the blood,” said Akhundzadah, who serves as cook, in explaining the ancient belief that this method of slaughter was more hygienic.

Because Judaism, like Islam, is an Abrahamic religion that retains this practice, Muslims can eat kosher products. Any Muslim who has reached puberty can slaughter an animal after saying the name of Allah while facing Mecca.

Halal products and meat tend to be slightly more expensive because they’re less common. But Akhundzadah insists his customers can taste the higher quality.

“They can tell the difference. I’m a good cook,” he said, his eyes twinkling.

It’s his tasty food, Akhundzadah believes, that attracts a mostly non-Muslim clientele. He estimates non-Muslims make up about 80 percent of his customers. Of those, the majority are Indian Hindus as well as a mix of people who reflect Chatsworth’s ethnic and religious diversity.

But for Muslim and non-Muslim patrons alike, the overriding factor appears to be taste rather than religious concerns.

“I’m interested in great food,” said Wajeeh Khursheed, a Chatsworth resident who’s been eating at Tawakal for two years, as he picked up his lamb biryani takeout during a lull after the lunch hour. But I’m not fond of pork, so if there’s not much pork I’m fine,” explained Khursheed, a Pakistani-born Muslim raised in Nigeria who abstains from pork.

Akhundzadah stopped serving pork when he closed Mateo’s. As he prepared to serve customers a late lunch in his simple but spotless dining room decorated with a large 3-D image of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, he explained following his faith has been good for the bottom line.

“Bringing in a customer is in the hand of God,” he said, as he stepped back into the kitchen. “Do the work, a customer will come.”