Daily Inspiration: Meet Tony Hamati

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Hamati.

Hi Tony, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
At a young age, I loved watching my aunt cook, and when I went home, I wanted to duplicate what she made. I studied food, beverage, and hotel management at the Culinary School of Jordan, which was the first culinary school in Jordan, then continued my education at the Culinary of the Sorbonne, Paris. My career began in 1980 as sous-chef for King Hussein at the Royal Palace of Jordan. He had recruited me to promote the culinary school I was attending. King Hussein encouraged me to follow my passions and was the most compassionate person I have ever met. I prepared many different styles of cuisine over the 5 years I was in the palace, mainly for the state dinners where the guests were made up of dignitaries and leaders from around the world. I moved to the United States in 1985 and became an American citizen. In the mid to late 80s, I worked as the banquet chef at the Arizona Biltmore Resort, then temporarily moved to Hawaii to assist with opening the Westin Maui Resort. Eventually, I moved to Arizona and served as General Manager of Tomaso’s restaurant, opening Tomaso’s concepts in Del Coronado and Phoenix, Arizona. In 1996, I opened my first restaurant, Bravo! I owned and operated Bistro for over 20 years, but Schmooze is unlike any other concept I have been a part of. I was initially brought on as a consultant for the restaurant since I consulted for numerous Valley restaurants. Still, I was quickly brought on as a partner in the project until taking over full ownership at the end of 2021.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Becoming a chef is not easy; you must have passion. I describe a chef’s life as being a military soldier; you are always there, and it is a demanding business. Your uniform must be perfect, and you must be lined up on time when everyone is having fun while working. When you are younger and starting, you are hungry; you don’t understand work/ life balance, and even now, it is hard to find time to step away. You have many worries about caring for your family, so keep working. If I could change one thing from when I was younger, it would be to have more life balance, you work hard for the people you love, but if you never see them, you waste the good things in life. Construction of the restaurant itself was a struggle. We worked on the construction of Schmooze for a year and a half. It was initially going to be a juice bar/ coffee shop. Still, we have such a beautiful patio that people started requesting to hold private events and catering, so we decided that we needed a full kitchen. After the first year and a half, we changed our mind, gutted everything out again, and rebuilt to have a fully functioning restaurant kitchen. Then, of course, a year or so after opening, we were all hit with Covid, which provided the challenges every restaurant faced during that time. Finding products took time, getting fresh ingredients, even dry goods, were in short supply, and keeping employees. It took a lot of work, primarily in the food and hospitality industries.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The most important part of being a chef is just like any other career; you have to have a passion for what you do. Being a chef is being an artist; your passion comes from cooking. The payoff is not a financial benefit. It makes people happy. I have always said that the waters of the world divide us, but the food of the world brings us together. My favorite part of being a chef is giving people amazing experiences and creating memories in their lives, being a part of their connections. I always aim to utilize local farmers, independents, and small businesses like myself. It is important to support the community that supports you and to have quality ingredients. The key to any successful business is having the right people beside you. There is no hierarchy in my restaurant. The bartenders can not do their job without the baristas doing theirs, the baristas can’t do their job without the bussers, and the bussers can’t do their job without the cooks. We all must operate on respect and hold ourselves accountable for the importance of our contribution. When you have a great team of leaders built on the passion you all share, you will see that your business becomes driven by the positive energy that customers can see and respond to. To accomplish this, you have to ensure the happiness of your team and always take care of your people. Listening to your employees and customers is the best way to learn about your business; that’s when you become better at what you do.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
As a chef, we always strive for consistency; when you have consistent food and service, you create a fantastic experience. I learned from fast food restaurants that people go there because they know exactly what they are getting. People want to be surprised and satisfied. Great restaurants are great because they are reliable. If you are making bad food, ensure it’s bad every time. If you are making good food, make sure it’s great. We don’t want to leave the customers wondering if their food will be as good as it was the last time. This is what creates loyal customers that are what make your business thrive. Something must also be said about using quality ingredients in your food. You have to hold yourself and your restaurant to a high standard. If there is one thing that should never be negotiable, it is serving people the best. And, of course, you have to have passion. If you are going to have a restaurant, you must run it with a love and passion for cooking. I always tell my children to make sure they love what you do because they will do it for a long time.

Pricing:

• We do not increase prices, hoping things will balance out and not scare customers off.
• May not have an understanding of price increases
• Try to serve good quality food for reasonable prices
• Have a value to it

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.schmoozescottsdale.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schmoozescottsdale/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/schmoozescottsdale