Taftoon NYCTaftoon NYC

The Founders

The People Behind Taftoon

Every memorable place begins with people who believe hospitality can bring cultures together, create lasting memories, and make strangers feel like family.

Amir built the vision. Shadi gave it its soul. Together they created Taftoon.

Amir Sayaghi · Founder

Twenty-five years across six cities. From dishwasher to operator to founder — the quiet architecture of a lifetime in hospitality.

Read Amir's Story →
Shadi Gholami · Co-Founder

Artist, brand architect, creative director. The eye behind every color, texture, and detail that gives Taftoon its unmistakable feeling.

Read Shadi's Story →

Founder

Amir Sayaghi

Twenty-five years of hospitality, resilience, and service — distilled into the most personal project of a lifetime.

Chapter I

A New Beginning

I arrived in the United States from Iran as a teenager, one of five people sharing a single-bedroom apartment. Within a week, I was standing behind a restaurant sink washing dishes, barely speaking English, completely unaware that I had just stepped onto the path that would define my life.

That kitchen became my first classroom.

It taught discipline. It taught humility. It taught resilience. Most importantly, it taught me that hospitality is about people long before it is about food.

Chapter II

Learning Hospitality

Over the next twenty-five years, I moved through every level of the hospitality industry — from the speed of fast-food operations to the precision of fine dining, from the bar to the boardroom.

Every restaurant became another lesson. Every city became another classroom. Every guest became another opportunity to learn.

Chapter III

Building Restaurants

My career has taken me across six major American cities and international consulting projects, helping operators transform single locations into multi-unit businesses while navigating expansion, economic uncertainty, operational complexity, and changing industries.

For more than two decades, I dedicated myself to helping build other people's visions.

Chapter IV

Why Taftoon

Today, that experience comes together in the most personal project of my life.

Taftoon is more than a restaurant. It is a cultural bridge connecting the timeless elegance of Persian hospitality with the relaxed soul of Tulum and the creative energy of New York City.

Every decision inside Taftoon reflects the experiences, lessons, and values gathered throughout my journey.

Taftoon · 388 Third Avenue
Chapter V

A Personal Dream

Taftoon is the place I always imagined sharing with family and friends.

It brings together the comforting flavors I grew up with, the meals my mother lovingly prepared, and the traditions that shaped my understanding of hospitality.

These recipes are not simply recreated. They are respectfully reimagined for a new generation while preserving the warmth, generosity, and spirit that make Persian culture so extraordinary.

Chapter VI

Looking Forward

My hope is that every guest leaves Taftoon having experienced more than exceptional food.

I hope they leave with a deeper appreciation for Persian culture, meaningful connections around the table, and memories that inspire them to return again and again.

Because true hospitality doesn't end when dinner is over. It stays with you long after you've left.

“Hospitality isn't measured by what leaves the kitchen. It's measured by how people feel when they leave the table.”

Amir Sayaghi

Founder

Co-Founder · Creative Director · Brand Architect

Shadi Gholami

The Heart Behind Taftoon.

While Amir built decades of operational excellence, Shadi transformed that vision into an experience people could feel.

Her influence isn't loud. It's intentional. It's thoughtful. It's everywhere.

Chapter I

A Creative Foundation

Born in Iran and raised with the richness of Persian culture, Shadi immigrated to Canada in 2003.

She earned an Honors degree in Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) and Global Management from the University of Toronto, where she developed a strong foundation in business, branding, marketing, and consumer behavior.

While her education sharpened her strategic thinking, her creativity has always been what truly defines her.

Long before Taftoon existed, she believed that every meaningful brand begins with a story people can feel.

Chapter II

Building a Vision

After moving to Los Angeles in 2015, Shadi discovered that her greatest inspiration wasn't found inside a boardroom — it was found around the dinner table.

Food became her language.

Hospitality became her canvas.

Persian culture became her greatest source of inspiration.

Every gathering reminded her that the smallest details often leave the deepest impressions.

That philosophy would eventually shape every corner of Taftoon.

Chapter III

The Artist Behind Taftoon

Before Taftoon ever became a restaurant, it began as an artistic vision.

Shadi is an accomplished artist whose work extends far beyond branding and design. She hand-paints decorative vases, creates original artwork, and draws inspiration from Persian history, architecture, nature, color, texture, and traditional craftsmanship.

Her artistic eye influences nearly every visual decision throughout Taftoon — the website, the interior atmosphere, the color palette, the typography, the photography, the materials, the presentation. Even the smallest design details originate from her artistic perspective.

Every visual element has purpose. Nothing exists simply because it looks beautiful. Everything is designed to make guests feel something.

Her artwork reflects the same philosophy that defines Taftoon: timeless, elegant, authentic, quietly unforgettable.

Turquoise and gold hand-painted Persian vases by Shadi GholamiPersian floral and bird motif vase hand-painted by Shadi Gholami
Original vases hand-painted by Shadi in her free time — Persian floral, bird, and calligraphic motifs on turquoise and cobalt.
Chapter IV

The Architect Behind the Experience

While many people experience Taftoon through its food, much of what they remember was designed long before the first plate ever reaches the table.

Shadi is the creative force behind Taftoon's identity.

She leads the visual direction, website experience, digital presence, marketing strategy, storytelling, guest journey, and the atmosphere that defines the house itself.

From typography and photography to lighting, textures, music, colors, and the emotional rhythm of every guest interaction, her fingerprints are woven into every detail.

Nothing exists by accident. Every decision has purpose.

Chapter V

The Soul of the House

Together with Amir, Shadi is helping introduce a new generation to Persian cuisine — not simply by serving food, but by creating an environment where culture can be experienced.

Her philosophy is simple. Beauty should never compete for attention. It should quietly elevate every moment.

Guests may never consciously notice the countless details she has shaped. Yet they leave remembering exactly how Taftoon made them feel.

That is the mark of truly exceptional hospitality.

Chapter VI

A Legacy in the Making

For Shadi, Taftoon is more than a restaurant. It is a celebration of heritage. A home for meaningful conversations. A place where Persian traditions are shared with authenticity, elegance, and genuine warmth.

Every loaf of bread. Every carefully chosen material. Every piece of art. Every flower. Every candle. Every photograph. Every word.

Together they tell one story: that hospitality is an art form. And that the smallest details are often the ones people carry with them forever.

Rather than following trends, Shadi creates experiences rooted in emotion, craftsmanship, and culture — turning Taftoon into a place that feels collected over generations rather than designed overnight.

“The details no one notices are the ones everyone remembers.”
— Shadi

Shadi Gholami

Co-Founder · Creative Director · Brand Architect

A House Built on People

Every table set. Every candle lit. Every guest welcomed. This is the work of the people behind Taftoon — and the growing family we build alongside them.

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