We were lucky to catch up with David Fhima recently and have shared our conversation below.
David , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
The restaurant business is a risky business. The only chance for survival is your passion for the business. Not just the food. The daily fires (literal and figurative). Every restaurant I’ve ever opened was a risk. Many restaurants, if not most, close within the first year of business. I’m proud to say that, yes, I’ve opened and closed restaurants, but they’ve been open for many years before I’v had to close them. In the restaurant business today, you are either a corporate entity with multiple locations and pushing out the same food in every city or you are a small, family business, like me, trying to create an experience for each and every guest who walks through the door. Every restaurant I have opened is a risk in a different way. My first restaurant I owned, I bought (took over) from an owner who couldn’t work anymore. That was a risk… MARKS. in L. A….on, La Cienaga, I could’ve built something… my relationship, my need to be near my children forced me to leave that restaurant. My latest endeavor, I bought the building… risk number one. I transformed a 135+ year old building into a modern French Mediterranean restaurant. Risk number two. I put my reputation, my brand and my family’s name on the line…. again. Risk number three. Restaurants are my passion, my family is my passion, working with my son is my passion. Passion trumps risk. We have a dream of creating hospitality in a way that the twin cities has never seen… probably the world has never seen. Our dreams are big/ our risks are bigger.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Born in Casablanca, Morocco to a Spanish Jewish Mother and a Sicilian Catholic Father. I am one of 16 siblings, the first boy after 7 girls were born. I came to the states to make a name for myself and found myself in kitchens… one of the first kitchens was named Jim Dandy in Los Angelos… Fried Chicken. I didn’t speak English but I new cooking. I floated from kitchen to kitchen until I found myself in one of the most exclusive restaurants in Los Angeles…. Le Restaurant, L’Orangerie… working for/under some of the most renowned chefs to this day. I was featured on The lifestyles of the rich and famous as one of the hottest chefs… and I thought I had made it in the US. I look back on those formative days with such gratitude and humility. I will say this… the rich and famous are lucky that there were no cell phones in those days! My experience in Los Angeles blew my head up and my first days in Minneapolis brought me back down. I have grown with this beautiful city. This city helped me find my true roots, supported me through many trials and tribulations. I have grown as a Chef and a human being a chef in the Twin Cities.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
2008… I had 3 restaurants open. NHL strike, market crash… I was looking at one business that could possibly survive. I pivoted, I looked around and a good friend offered me a way to bridge the gap I was looking at. Baharam Akradi, CEO of Lifetime Fitness was opening and taking over clubs across the country. He asked me to join forces and take over the food program for the company. For the next 5 years, I worked to take the clubs food program Organic, Clean and the most Sustainable it could be. My first time in the corporate world was a rude awakening. There are more meetings than there are hours in the day. I was used to making a decision and someone implementing… but Lifetime has systems… and they work. I feel grateful for my time at this amazing company and even more grateful to BA for the opportunity. We parted ways after 5 years, friendship even stronger.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
I’ve never been great at marketing… I am old school and I like ‘word of mouth’ advertising. With my son on board, he and his generation have taken marking into a whole new realm. With Social Media it’s a different world. Granted, my demographic, my generation are slow to ascribe but there is no better way to build clientele than a great SM marketing plan. “Phone eats first” is one of the first phrases that I heard my children say at breakfast during the pandemic. It finally clicked with me. Building a brand is a different animal these days and if I am being honest, I think there are 1000 different ways to do it. There as SM companies who want a retainer to post this and that but our organic posts and videos, our authentic captions and stories seem to get the job done perfectly. I even have a tiktok with over 1 million views… go find it… French Toast! 
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fhimasmpls.com www.maisonmargauxmpls.com www.motherdoughbakery.com www.artisansandspice.com
- Instagram: @cheffhima @motherdoughmpls @fhimasmpls @maisonmargauxmpls @artisansandspice
- Facebook: David Fhima Maison Margaux Fhimas Minneapolis
- Linkedin: Fhimas Minneapolis David Fhima
- Twitter: @david_fhima @motherdoughmpls @fhimasmpls.
- Youtube: @Davidfhima7926
- Yelp: Fhimas Minneapolis. Maison Margaux Mother Dough Bakery
Image Credits
Kelly Birch Photography Linnea Maas Artful Living