Meet David Fhima

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful David Fhima a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi David, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I think I get my resilience from where most people get it… time and experience. All of us have had life experiences that have knocked us down, pushed us around and made us feel less than… The more of those you have, the more resilient you become. Each time I have a tough day, maybe even the “worst” day, I lay my head on the pillow at night and try to sleep. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t but ALWAYS… the sun comes up. Thats not optimism, thats reality. And with the new day comes new opportunities. I have opened and closed many businesses, mostly restaurants. The opening is hard. The closing is hard. The day to day is hard… the business is unrelenting yet, when I look back… I’ve come so far, I’ve survived and even thrived! With each new endeavor I put blinders on, not letting myself think about the trials and tribulations that will come within the first year of opening. Not thinking about the fact that most (70-80%) of new restaurants close within a year. I know the long days are coming but I have the experience of knowing that they will get shorter and shorter. I have opened enough to know that it will settle down and if it doesn’t, it isn’t the end… its just part of the adventure.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a chef in Minneapolis, Minnesota who has lived and cooked all around the US and Europe. Growing up in a family with 16 siblings, food was at the center of our home. We would all be involved in cooking in some capacity. I am the first boy having 7 sisters before me and spent much of my younger days in the kitchen with my mom and the girls. It is safe to say that food is in my DNA. After boarding school I went on to receive and engineering degree in Switzerland. That didn’t keep me from the kitchen. Upon first moving to Los Angeles and not speaking English, I took any job. I worked at a Winchells donuts, Jim Dandy Chicken and even a delivery service until I landed some more prestigious sous chef gigs eventually becoming one of the most up a coming chefs in LA. I owned my own restaurant named Marks, on La Cienega in the late 80s/early 90s and then moved to Minneapolis around 1991. Starting from scratch, I worked in a few kitchens before partnering with my best friend and opening the Minneapolis Cafe. Now, 30 years later, I am proud to say, I have established my brand in Minnesota, I have become a part of this community in many ways. Our newest ventures include a French Brasserie in the North Loop and a French Bakery in downtown Minneapolis.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Tenacity Hospitality
Sense of community

I became a chef out of necessity, at first, but then grew to love the business. I’ve always loved food, I haven’t always loved cooking, it was simply the easiest job to get when I moved to this country. Connecting with people is something that makes my career even more special. I have tried new trends in cooking but, for the most part, have stayed close to my roots/my background. I cook the way I feel not with the current trends. Years ago, many people had not experienced a Tagine before they came into my restaurant and my style of cooking was unfamiliar. I stuck with it out of stubbornness, yes, and also because it’s in my blood. I create what comes natural to me, what feels right and authentic, not what shows up as the latest trend.

Recently the “foodie” crowd desires clean/green/local ingredients but for me, thats all I’ve ever known. Growing up in Morocco, you get local ingredients… period. My mom would always say, “don’t come in my kitchen in a bad mood, your food will taste bad.” I believe that to this day. When I am in the kitchen, I strive to have an ambiance of calm and creativity. Thats not always easy…. but its something that I think about constantly. Growing up with my mother and always at least 7-8 sisters in the kitchen, there was constant cooking going on. Our family alone was like a small restaurant and…we ALWAYS had guests! Many times neighbors, sometimes local dignitaries, family or community members who were hungry. I tell the story of being shocked to see my family home when I returned to Morocco as an adult because, to me, growing up, I thought we were the wealthiest in our community; our table was always full and we ate like kings! As an adult, it looked as if we were very poor.

Taking time for your community, giving back as much as you can not only feels right and good but also comes back to you many times. I know food, I give food. I know food experiences, I give food experiences. We have the honor of supporting many organizations in the community by giving food and experiences and we are proud and honored to do it. Now, working side by side with my son Eli, these are the three things I am most proud to have passed along to him. He embodies these values and is able to emulate these virtues through all of his interactions.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents were trying to give me a better life than they had. They were two people (my father of Sicilian descent and my mom with Spanish heritage) whose families immigrated to Morocco. They did not read or write but they were/are among the wisest people I’ve known. In an attempt to do the right thing for their first born son, my parents sent me to boarding school at the age of 7. I ran a way from a few; would sneak on trains and get caught by authorities and sent back to my parents (or worse, back to the school). I got kicked out of a few more… finally I landed in a school with a headmaster, Monsieur Loeve, who would shape my future. In telling and recounting the depth of the story… it’s horrific and can still bring me to tears. I would never wish this on any child. Having said that, those experiences, for the good and the bad, shaped who I am today. They exposed my will to survive, my tenacity and my grit. They taught me resilience and while it took me some time to realize…. I learned humility. I went on to college, which was ultimately my parents dream for me. I became an engineer. I use those skills every day in the kitchen. While I didn’t become the doctor they always wanted, I find that I can reach (maybe heal) guests through food, ambiance and the impactful gift my parents gave me long before they sent me away: a sense of hospitality.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Kelly Burch Photography Linnea Maas

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