In March, Fraidoon Hovaizi took over the space on Route 29/Rio Road formally occupied by Zandi’s and opened Zam Zam Kabob (Zam Zam means “holy pure water” in Arabic, Hovaizi says). Since then, word about the Iranian-style kabob shop has leaked out slowly, as Hovaizi chose not to advertise too much in the beginning. However, next week Zam Zam Kabob will finally have its “Grand Opening,” and Fraidoon appears ready to spill the beans– or perhaps the Persian saffron rice– and give us the scoop on this new ethnic addition to the Charlottesville restaurant scene.

“We realized there was no kabob shop like this in town,” says the Iranian-born Hovaizi, who emigrated to the U.S. 30 years ago and has lived in Charlottesville with his wife and family for the last decade. “There are many places like this in Northern Virginia, but nothing like it here.”

Hovaizi would seem an unlikely owner of a kabob shop. He has a Ph.D. in economics from U Mass and owns another business in town, Dell Tax & Mortgage. Before moving to Charlottesville he worked for the World Bank and taught economics in Amherst, Massachusetts. His wife has a Ph.D. as well, in organic chemistry, and they moved to Charlottesville when she got a senior research position at a local biotech company.

His venture into the restaurant biz appears to be a labor of love. “We are very health conscious, very well-read in these areas,” he says, pointing out that the restaurant slogan is “one meal healthier.” In addition, Hovaizi, who has been active in the local Muslim community, has hired cooks from the Middle East and hopes to contribute food to local homeless shelters, something he and his wife have done from their home for years.

As for the food– well, Hovaizi says it won’t be much different than what his family eats at home, traditional kabobs and Middle Eastern dishes prepared with spices from Iran, including the most expensive one in the world: hand harvested Persian saffron.

“It’s considered like gold,” he says.