About me

I was born in Tabriz, Iran, and immigrated to San Francisco in 1986, where my older brother had moved a decade earlier. My plan was to go to medical school, and I began cooking merely as a way to pay my bills while doing pre-med coursework at Davis. But by 1989, it was clear to me that working in the kitchen had become an essential creative outlet. I decided to stay cooking at The Fly Trap in San Francisco, where I met Craig Thomas, former Executive Chef of Ernie's on Jackson Square. As Thomas' sous chef, I was encouraged to add my own perspective to the art of fine dining. After about a year, I was primed to take over the helm and ran the kitchen at The Fly Trap to rave reviews until 1992.

As a self-trained chef with a solid grasp of traditional French and American cuisine, I decided to expand my culinary knowledge at South Park’s Ristorante Ecco. I found the restaurant’s Italian style of cuisine aligned with my own background and perspective. Within a year, I took over the stove at Ecco, where again I garnered rave reviews.

Next up was Aromi, a popular Italian spot on Polk St. I took over the restaurant, infused it with my style and began to gain the recognition necessary to go out on my own. In 1996, I did just that on Sacramento St. with my first restaurant, Zaré.

With my deliberate hospitality and unique style of Mediterranean cuisine, I built a loyal following at Zaré. Things were going so well that, in 1999, I reclaimed Aromi, a space that was very close to my heart, and reincarnated the restaurant as Bistro Zaré. The new Bistro became an overnight success story.

After years building a name for myself within the city walls, my passion for wine and the Slow Food movement lured me to relocate to Napa. In 2005, I launched Zaré Napa, featuring a Mediterranean-inspired wine country menu focused on community-provided produce.

I spent two beautiful years honing my restaurant’s private garden and building a great appreciation for the abundance of wine country. But as time went on, I began craving the energy of the city and my “family” in San Francisco. I set my sights on returning to the place that so warmly embraced me when I first arrived in the U.S.

In 2008, I returned to reopen The Fly Trap in SoMa, renamed Zaré at Fly Trap. I’m delighted to call San Francisco home again. At Zaré at Fly Trap, I entertain all week long with food and beverage programs created by the best Bay Area talents in an extraordinary space that pays tribute to the history of San Francisco.