Meet Mona Bavar | Founder of DLISH Curated In Milan

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mona Bavar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mona, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
Food has always been and will always be an important part of my life. I am honored to be a complex yet interesting mix of the magnificent Persian heritage that gives me roots in tradition and beauty, and the continuously innovative and dynamic Western cultures that give me the freedom to take shape and sprout creativity.
My family and I immigrated to the US from Iran in 1979. Unfortunately at that time, the political mood was quite negative toward Iranians due to a revolution that would force many to flee the country and others to surrender to an oppressive regime. I will spare you the historical details but encourage you to read about it in order to better understand its people and their culture.

Although a ‘melting pot’ the US – or at least some of its people – was not so welcoming to Iranians at the time. As a result, my siblings and I suffered significant bullying in school by both our teachers as well as our classmates, often coming home filled with fear and confusion about the world we were living in.

Regardless of the battles, my parents were fighting as immigrants themselves, my mother and father always managed to make us feel safe and protected – especially in the kitchen and around the table. Breakfast and dinner were mandatory rituals centered around a simple yet beautifully prepared table. My mother made it a point to educate us on the proper way to set the table – forks to the left, knife and spoon to the right, napkins folded to the right, glasses to the upper right. The simple yet colorful setting became an esthetically comforting sanctuary.

The meals were always traditional Persian dishes, reminding us of our rich culinary heritage. From the colors to the scents, each dish was lovingly prepared by my mother, who I later realized cooked as a way of staying connected to the family she had left back in Iran. I will forever remember the comfort I felt upon opening the door and smelling the fried kotlet (Persian meat patties) my mother was preparing. She would affectionately greet me and my siblings while standing over the frying pan – to this day the simple smell of kotlet sparks a sense of peace and safety in me. We would often grab one or two straight from the serving dish and begin to eat it while standing beside her in the kitchen.

During our shared meals, my parents would tell stories of their childhoods, and the memories they had left behind in the hope of a better life. My father would enrich our meals with history and geography, keeping us connected to our roots and the ever magnificent Persian Empire. My siblings and I were the only kids in elementary school who knew the capital of random countries and their place in history. We learned why Persian food contained so many various spices and why saffron was so precious. We realized that the packed Persian lunches my mother gave us – which the kids made fun of with disgust – were rooted in centuries-old traditions and no comparison to the baloney sandwiches eaten by our classmates.

Of course, like most kids, at the time I didn’t appreciate the value of those moments, but looking back, I realize how significant these rituals and history lessons were for me. Around this precious table, my mother made us feel safe by creating a warm, inviting environment free from judgment and prejudice. It became a sort of safe haven where we could gather around and express our thoughts, share our feelings and connect with our roots. We laughed, cried, debated, teased – essentially, we created memories while building a strong, rooted foundation.
Throughout my life, regardless of where I am or who I am with, my greatest joys come from gathering around a table. It is a setting where delectable tastes are savored, rare vintages are enjoyed and most importantly relationships are honed and boundaries are broken. It is around this table that I have shared uncontrollable laughter fueled by those rare vintages, learned about the different cultures I have been privileged to experience, and cultivated relationships that have become important pillars in my life. It is fascinating how a plate of local food shared with a stranger can lead to a lasting friendship.

When I moved to Italy for university, I met a lot of people from different parts of the world – China, Italy, France, Greece, Bosnia, and Turkey – each one with a different history, culture, and dish. As is the way I was raised, I would invite my classmates to my home and we would have dinners where everyone had brought a dish specific to their country. During these dinners, we learned about the food, each other and what our stories were. The raw conversations we had while sharing a meal became some of the most important of my life. We built strong relationships and memories without prejudice – all triggered and guided by food as a common ground.

Food has a powerful way of taking us on historical journeys where we understand the origin and purpose of what we are tasting. We appreciate why certain cultures eat with their hands while others eat with chopsticks. Why some eat on the floor while others at the table. Or why certain regional foods are spicy while others are bland.

Today, when I review the past 40+ years as an immigrant, I can say that the most important thing has been bringing people together and teaching them about the origins and history of the people they may label as terrorists, thieves, freeloaders, etc. My years of experience have proven that the best way for doing this is around the table to share a meal. The table is a safe, neutral place where we, from all different backgrounds, come together to speak about our cultures, the spices that made the dish, the history of the people, where they come from and why they do what they do.

We learn to appreciate the time and the detail that goes into making every piece enjoyed around the table. The faces of the artisans, their hands, and their invaluable skills all take shape through their craft. It has been my mission to capture these priceless moments in the thoughtfully curated DLISH Gifts or around the intimate DLISH Table.

My upbringing, education, travels, my business, my relationships have all contributed significantly to my journey, giving birth to DLISH – an innovative gifting company centered around food, art and design. It is a tribute to my roots, to my family and our struggles, to the people who I have met along the way and who have generously shared pieces of themselves with me. This is what the Art of Gifting is all about.

What should our readers know about your business?
Forever inspired by food, art and design, our mission is to fuel the joyous spark we all remember from unwrapping gifts as little ones. The intrigue. The excitement. The timeless sense of ritual. With over 20 years of experience, I am proud to lead a dedicated team of all female creatives, designers and culinary specialists to continuously source new and exquisite gifts. Together with my team and talented vendors, we are adding spice, boldness and much needed elegance to the gifting industry.

Our dedication is to shine a light on craftsmanship and design making us the ideal destination for curated, collectible and unique objects. We celebrate the process of creation: from sharing the skills of artisans and contemporary craftspeople to telling the stories behind pieces we have sourced globally.

All our gourmet finds and design objects have one thing in common, they are about craftsmanship, creativity, tradition and the work that goes into making them. Everything has a story and we are dedicated to sharing that story. Fittingly, we have launched DLISH Magazine where we publish extensive biographies about the people behind each of the objects or the objects’ origins, so users can understand why, exactly, these pieces are so special.

We believe in the power of storytelling. Through our exclusive, intimate dinners around the DLISH Table, we explore new tastes, make new friends, share our stories and meet the makers. Working with partners around the world, the themed dinners bring people together to experience multisensory dining while getting vulnerable. In addition, we have also launched DLISH Stories, a brand storytelling leg where we specialize in helping entrepreneurs tap into the power of emotion-driven branding to create a deeper connection with their audience.

Our dedication to innovation has led us to explore new frontiers in the gifting industry, including our beta NFT project, where we’re working with companies to incorporate NFTs into their corporate gifting strategies. As we look to the future, we’re excited to explore even more creative and dynamic ways to elevate the gifting experience.

At DLISH, we’re proud to be trailblazers in the industry, filling a void by creating gifting experiences that spark joy and delight. We believe that every gift has the power to create lasting memories, and it’s our honor to be a part of those special moments.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would start with breakfast at Joan’s on Thirds, then go to Melrose Avenue and check out the shops and do some shopping. We would then head over to Pinches Tacos on Sunset for some authentic Mexican food. We would then go down Sunset Blvd and head to Hollywood to see the Walk of Fame and finally dinner at Jitlada for some Thai food.

Day 2 would be visiting the Museum and exploring the food trucks in the area before heading to Century City to visit the mall and have some drinks at Javiers.

Day 3 would be exploring Venice and all the shops and cafes.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I will be forever grateful to my parents and to my brother and sister for giving me these cherished memories that I consider precious gifts and for providing us with a place where we always felt safe. It is their unconditional love and continuous support that provides the strong roots I need to confront the challenges life may lay before me.

My personal voice and my sense of empowerment are one with the table that, to this day, serves as a safe haven, a beautiful setting where, through shared stories, I cultivate relationships through begin courageously vulnerable. I am an Iranian-American living in Italy. My roots are deep and complex and my journey has been colorful with many ups and downs. The place where I have always felt inspired to candidly share my story, share myself is around a table.

Of course, I can not exclude the dear friends who have stood by my side and graciously shared their business acumen, their words of encouragement and their belief in my vision. I am also grateful to be a part of a business mentoring community of soulful, female entrepreneurs who are daring to take the road less traveled. Katherine Suarez, the founder of this powerful community, Nomad Atelier, is thoughtfully helping women unwrap their many layers to eventually discover their hidden gifts.

Website: https://dlish.us/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dlish.us/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dlish

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dlishm?lang=en

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGiUrUGqlyY4rM2wMj28RpQ

Image Credits
Beatrice della Volpe Sandra Choremi