Meet Trailblazer Mahfam Moeeni-Alarcon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mahfam Moeeni-Alarcon.

Mahfam, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As far back as I can remember, I enjoyed being in the kitchen watching my mom cook. My parents would host many dinner parties at their home, so seeing the enjoyment and gathering around food as a way to bring people together sparked my early passion for cooking.

As a pre-teen, I was eager to come home and make a family meal after school whenever the opportunity would arise.

I would typically make a list of ingredients and my parents would take me to the supermarket so I could pick the items out myself. My first few dinners were not so great, but after many practice rounds, I became more confident.

I continued cooking and baking throughout my teen years, often times daydreaming and planning out in class about what to cook when I got home.

Cooking while in college was also a big part of my social life. I Invited friends over for dinner or often planned out potluck parties. I also worked at a local coffee house/cafe where I was a barista and made food to order. The owner would let me play around in the kitchen and soon after, I hosted my very first “Middle Eastern” pop-up at the shop. It was right after 9/11 and tensions were high, people were scared of all Middle Easterners. I wanted to create a dialogue and comfort through food during this emotional time for everyone so I sent out a blast email to all college departments, filled up faculty boxes with fliers and posted fliers on camps. This was right before social media as you can imagine.

I was so afraid that no one would show up because of the fear that was instilled by the media. I was wrong! Our dinner sold out—we even made room for take out orders because our max capacity was for 75.

I knew then that I wanted to make a career out this. I wanted to bring people together through good food and conversation. It was at this coffee shop that I also learned about culinary school as an option.

I decided to take a job at a local country club so that I can really get a feel for the industry before investing time and money in culinary school.

Being thrown on the line on my first day was a shock, but after a couple of weeks, I learned the menu and appreciated the process. The executive chef at that kitchen was a Johnson & Wales grad. I learned some tips from him, but he also tried to steer me away from the industry. Telling me it’s the least paid, most undervalued profession out there. He was right (as I learned soon after), but my passion and persistence to learn only grew stronger.

Fast forward to going to culinary school at Arizona Culinary Institute and working almost all of the positions in the restaurant and hospitality industry, I landed my final job in retail at Whole Foods as the “craft beer and wine pairing chef” for their special dinners. I also worked in the Specialty department as the wine buyer and learned a lot about craft beer and cheeses too.

While working at Whole Foods, I started a business making marinated olives. The marinade I created could also be used as salad dressing, dipping sauce for bread or cheese, or to roast your vegetables in. I began selling my marinated olives, called Olove, at the Phoenix Public Market. When the market was over I’d go door to door to different bars and restaurants and hand out samples of my olives for the chefs or bar managers to try.

I got a lot of rejections and I also got a few takers. My first account for wholesale was with First Draft book bar at Changing Hands in Phoenix.

Keep in mind at the time, I had a 5-year-old son at home, a husband that also worked full time as a restaurant manager, and I was pregnant with my daughter.

About two years into selling olives as my side hustle while working at Whole Foods I began getting inquiries for catering gigs. The catering gigs are what propelled by client base. It was beginning to get too hectic to have a full-time job, two kids (1 of which was a newborn/infant by this time) and have catering events. My husband and I sat down to do the math to see if it would pan out if I quit my full-time job to take the leap as self-employed.

The math didn’t look so good (it never does when you’re an entrepreneur), but I took the leap to quit my job and focus on growing the business. Six months into it, I began looking for a kitchen to run the catering business out of instead of working in a shared commercial kitchen. Almost a year into starting, I found the perfect spot to call home for Mingle + Graze. We also took another huge leap in faith and had my husband quit his job so we can both run the business. Our combined industry experience and passion is our secret ingredient.

We are now three months into our storefront location which is located in the heart of downtown Chandler. The foot traffic has really helped us get new clients for catering and our little BYOB storefront is welcoming for people to dine-in or carry out cheese and charcuterie boards or salads and sandwiches.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There are many challenges as an entrepreneur. For me, the biggest hurdle was just to start. I always wanted to have my own business—a restaurant—but getting to that point was a process that seemed impossible when looking at the big picture.

Aside from gaining 17+ years of experience in the industry, I didn’t know where to start. Finding the resources necessary took a lot of asking and a lot of googling.

From finding a commercial kitchen to work out of, to getting all of the licenses needed is not a sexy process.

Another struggle I had was being a mom to a 5-year-old at the time and then getting pregnant during the process of getting the business off the ground. So many times, I felt guilty for not being at home on my days off because I was at the market selling olives or trying to make new connections. I missed soccer practices, family outings, lost connections with friends, and really turned into a “loner+workaholic” at trying to get the business off the ground. There are a lot of sacrifices that come with being an entrepreneur, but I believe it’s all worth it if you are doing it for the love of it!

If you’re deciding whether or not you should take the leap to start a business or a new career, my advice is to just go for it!

If you want to grow and take risks, then you have to make the sacrifices and get out of your comfort zone. Life is too short to regret the choices you didn’t make.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Mingle + Graze {cheese bar and kitchen} – what should we know?
Mingle + Graze is an experience. We bring delicious fun to you so you can “mingle and graze” with your friends or guests.

We are a full-service custom catering company that specializes in grazing tables—large displays of cheese and charcuterie laid across a table with nuts, our marinated olives, fresh fruit, and floral decor. We can also custom create menus for any occasion.

Our shop is unique in that it is a BYOB cheese bar and kitchen. You can come to the shop and order a beautiful cheese and charcuterie board to enjoy with the bottle of wine you brought in, or order an artisanal sandwich made with local bread. We also feature vegan soups, tacos, salad and a deli case with wedges of cheese to take home. We host buy-outs for private parties, workshops, and pop-ups!

We are most proud of the ingredients we source—we do our best to source our charcuterie from farms that have the animal welfare step program.

We also recycle and compost before we toss anything in the landfill.

Which women have inspired you in your life?
My mom! My mom because she left her country, Iran, with my dad and sister to come to the U.S. without knowing the language or culture. My mom raised three girls while my dad was going to school to get his bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. She learned to be very resourceful and creative because living on a student’s salary is not exactly easy when you have three kids. My mom would sell Avon makeup door to door, and she would also create crafts to sell at fairs. When my dad finished his studies, my mom went on to get her bachelor’s and master’s degree in fine arts. She’s been creating masterpieces for over 20 years+ and sells her art nationwide at various galleries. We are currently displaying her art at Mingle + Graze.

Contact Info:

• Address: Mingle + Graze
  48 S. San Marcos Pl
  Chandler, AZ 85225
• Website: www.mingleandgraze.com
• Phone: (480) 726-2264
• Email: mingle@mingleandgraze.com
• Instagram: mingleandgraze
• Facebook: mingleandgraze

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.