Faz Poursohi
Culinary Entrepreneur
Faz Poursohi's success as a restaurateur is based
on his love of food and cooking that he acquired growing up in Tehran.
His family took culinary matters seriously and their table was always
laid with freshly baked breads, fruits and vegetables from the family
farm.
Poursohi moved to the United States in 1974 to pursue a degree in
Systems Engineering at the University of Illinois. While in
Chicago, he began working for Rich Melman, owner of Lettuce
Entertain You, Inc. He quickly became a part of Melman's management
team and was instrumental in the opening of several successful
restaurants.
In 1981, Poursohi moved to California to join Spectrum Foods, a
restaurant company co-founded by Bay Area restaurateur Larry Mindel.
The Bay Area and its vast array of fresh produce had always
intrigued him. "Food is about freshness and flavor -- not about
ingredients buried in complex combinations. Go to a farmers market
and smell the fresh herbs, grow or pick vegetables off the vine when
you can. This is the inspiration behind cooking," explains Poursohi.
In 1984, Poursohi ventured out on his own with the opening of Cafe
Latte I, which was an instant success and inspired noted
restaurant reviewer Patricia Unterman to write, "There is some
kind of magic going on here, and it never seems to fail."
Two years later, Poursohi took over the former Poodle Dog restaurant,
a 137-year old landmark in the Crocker Galleria, and created
Circolo. Later that same
year, Poursohi opened Cafe Latte II
located in San Francisco's Embarcadero Four complex, an operation
which expanded to include successful corporate and special event
catering departments. His next operation was
Faz Restaurant & Catering in Danville, which opened
in 1991. Faz's signature wood-fired Mediterranean cuisine
and al fresco dining made the restaurant an instant success.
1994 saw Faz expand to San Francisco's Bechtel building with
Faz Cafe, offering cafeteria-style lunch and
off-premise catering. As a result of that success, breakfast
and lunch service to Blue Shield employees was also implemented
within the Bechtel facility. In September 1994, after a successful
11-year run, Circolo was updated and renamed Faz
Restaurant & Catering. The menu now focuses
on Mediterranean cuisine with Near-Eastern roots.
Faz Restaurant & Catering,
located in Silicon Valley, opened in November 1995. Sunnyvale
offers a comprehensive operation with a private 50-seat tearoom,
a 200-seat banquet hall and surrounding wedding garden that can
accommodate 500 guests. Extensive corporate meeting space
and services are available.
The following year, the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Pleasanton
asked Poursohi to open Faz Restaurant &
Catering on their premises.The cuisine is classic Mediterranean-Near
Eastern featuring a wood-fired grill, a smoker and rotisserie. Several
spacious banquet rooms are an added attraction to this location,
as well as a lovely garden patio and fountain that is available
for private parties.
Turning his attention again to San Francisco, Poursohi opened
Lavash Mediterranean Bistro (formerly
Café Latte II) in 1999. In addition to restaurant sales, Lavash
became one of the premier caterers in San Francisco before subsequently
closing its doors in February of 2004.
In January 2001, Poursohi opened Bollinger
Bar & Grill in San Ramon. The freestanding
facility encompasses 10,000 square feet and commands a 180-degree
view of the valley below. Faz used his Chicago experience
to fashion a Contemporary American menu, which offered a variety
of wood-grilled meats and seafood. Bollinger Bar & Grill
was sold in September of 2004.
In January of 2005, Faz Restaurant in San Francisco moved to a
new location becoming Tonno Rosso
by FAZ and by Summer 2005, after a renovation
which included a sidewalk dining area on the Embarcadero, the property
was transformed into Faz Restaurant &
Catering. Located across from the Ferry Building
at the waterfront, Faz Restaurant’s Bella Vista Room looks
out on the SF Bay Bridge. Emanating from the exhibition fireplace
grill, the fragrance of Faz’s innovative Mediterranean cuisine
permeates the dining room. |
BIOGRAPHIES ::
Avo Uvezian: Cigar Connoisseur
Multilingual jazz musician and businessman, sold first Avo in New
York in 1988 more...
Stephen Beal: Master of Scotch
Steve Beal is one of the world's seven Master Of Scotch
more...
Faz Poursohi: Culinary Entrepreneur
Faz Poursohi's success as a restauranteur is based on his love of food and cooking
that he acquired growing up in Tehran
more...
|
