David Fhima with MN Central Kitchen & The Sanneh Foundation

  Born in Casablanca, Morocco.

From the time I’ve had businesses I’ve been involved in community service. I’ve never not been involved in the community.   When I owned restaurants in Los Angeles, I worked closely with the Aids Project.  Most recently, we have worked closely with Minnesota Central Kitchen providing thousands of meals each week to the surrounding Twin Cities community.   We work with the Sanneh Foundation, Frogtown Neighborhood, The Fast Break foundation and donate many chef tastings and gift cards to various organizations each year.  Each one is as deserving of recognition as the next.

 Whether I am making 10,000 meals a week for the community schools or I am serving a donated 5 course Chef's tasting, my role is to ensure that each meal meets complete dietary needs, utilizing the best ingredients using flavors to balance and tantalize the senses.   

My life’s work has been to create magical experiences for guests through food, ambiance, and great energy.  I hope to give people a moment of respite from their crazy lives to come in, enjoy each other around breaking bread.

Humbling because each day I feel blessed having a business to run, a roof over my head, a wonderful family, good health, and incredible support around me…and with each meal I make for the community I know that not everyone feels that way or has that support.  Food insecurity is the most egregious of the insecurities.  I can’t imagine not knowing where my next meal is coming from or if I can feed my children.  Humbling because no matter how much of the best ingredients I collect, how well I create the dish, how nutritious I make the meal, there is still so much to do to eliminate the need in our tiny community let alone the larger world.

There is a direct and very obvious connection/correlation between being a chef and serving the community.  Food is essential to every human being.  Food is not a luxury, and there is no reason why food cannot have the same quality and taste when you are in an impoverished community or in the middle of downtown.  It takes care, community and compassion when creating each dish.

Walking my dog, playing tennis with my wife, and being surrounded by my kids (and my new grandson!) around a great meal.

My dad and my mom.  My dad has taught me so many lessons that I never really learned/understood until he passed but his voice is always ringing in my ear.  My mom, 10 children, and 7 seven stepdaughters later, her cooking techniques are intertwined in every dish that I make.

I don’t like to call my way of eating healthy but definitely always eating well.  Using the best ingredients is always my 1st order of business.  With that I can create anything from a great burger to a plant-based chorizo paella that will be the healthiest thing you can eat.   Feeding your cravings is the way I like to eat.  Picking a favorite dish would be like choosing a favorite child but if I had to choose a last meal today, I would have a great pizza on a beautiful homemade crust and a beer.  But tomorrow could be different.

So many versions of this…. Perfect day on vacation is different than a perfect day at work.  A perfect day with my kids is different than a perfect day with my wife.  I am blessed to have lots of wonderful days in all aspects of my life.

You’ll definitely have to ask them but my hope would be that I would inspire those around me to be creative, work hard and enjoy life and their loved ones. 

Park Falls, Wisconsin

August, 2017

I’m chair elect for the Board, preparing to become the Alumni Board Chair in April, 2022.  

Helping people find their passion and watching them take action to achieve it.  

Dedication.  Because everyone I’ve met through the UMAA (employees and volunteers) are dedicated to their work and the U.  

Yes, in both places, I am serving people. At the U, it’s students and alumni.  At Medtronic, it’s patients and employees. 

Cooking and baking

Brené Brown.  She’s not afraid to talk about any topic, ask hard questions and become a better person.  I love her quote “I’m not here to be right, I’m here to get it right.”  

Pizza with fresh toppings - a spinach side salad.  :-)

Being outside, active and in nature - in any season. 

I see the good in the world, I want to make a difference and I like to celebrate the simple things in life with others.