Today we’d like to introduce you to Kambiz Hafizi.
Kambiz, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Kabul Afghanistan, on the day that the backed Soviet government in Afghanistan was defeated and a new unified and Independent government was supposed to be installed. Unfortunately, that dream never came to fruition and a series of wars and conflicts plagued the country and continue to do so to this day. My family was forced to move to Tajikistan and then later to Pakistan, and finally to the United States of America. Growing up in different countries allowed me to see a broader perspective of life and having a mom, who is an excellent cook, try and cook different cuisines from around the world was a plus. Those dishes were part of my childhood and watching my mom try new recipes and create delicious meals captivated me. I started cooking when I was twelve years old and had to make countless bad meals until I finally started enjoying my food and it wasn’t until I was in college that other people started to enjoy my cooking as well. At that point, cooking was still just a hobby. I went to school for psychology and worked odd jobs here and there to make ends meet. One of these jobs was a Barista at a family owned Spanish restaurant/coffee shop and that is how I got introduced to the restaurant business. I became friends with the chefs and would hang out in the back of the house to watch them cook. I slowly started taking some food prep shifts and later became an assistant chef. I enjoyed working in the restaurant industry so I took on a few more jobs with some catering companies and even catered to weddings with three courses fine dining and service.
At that point in my life, I was still going to online school for my masters in psychology, while working three jobs to pay for my school, and trying to save money for a backpacking trip. After six months of working 60 to 80 hour weeks, I went on a trip to South East Asia by myself and backpacked across six countries. During my trip, I tried hundreds of different dishes and ingredients from many different regions and I was blown away by the diversity. I started cooking again on that trip and I loved being in the moment with no rush or destination in mind and just…cooking. My passion for cooking was reignited and when I came back from my trip I went to Ontario Canada to learn pizza making from my uncle who has a chain of pizza restaurants and has been making pizza for over twenty years. After six months of apprenticeship, I came back to Houston and used that knowledge along with my personal experiences in the industry to create what has now become “The Pizza Joint”. Opening up my restaurant has been one of the hardest challenges I have ever done in my life but at the same time, one of the most rewarding.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Anyone who has opened up a restaurant from scratch will tell you that it is never a smooth road. I knew the cooking part, but I had no idea about the business aspect of starting a restaurant. I had no idea where to start and how to get operating permits or anything like that. I was able to get a location and the landlord helped me with getting the permits but it still took over two months to get everything done and ready to open up shop. The problem with that location was the location. We were positioned in the back of a plaza with a newer shopping center built in front of it that completely blocks the building from the street. Getting our name out there for people to see us and know about us was an uphill battle for the first six months. There were also the unforeseeable expenses that would come up such as theft and robbery that might not be a big deal to an established restaurant, but when we were starting, it was a huge financial burden on top of the other expenses.
Please tell us about your business.
We specialize in handmade New York style pizzas and use fresh and quality ingredients to create rich and delicious flavors. We also make our own wing sauces that have become quite popular among our customers. I am most proud of the fact that we have consistently kept the quality of our products high through the thick and thin and if we ever made a mistake we do our best to fix it because those are the morals that we grew up in and we want to bring back to the restaurant industry. We want to bring back family owned businesses, which made this country a great nation. Small businesses are what makes each community unique and bring people together regardless of their backgrounds.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory was from the first time I went camping and I went on to explore the woods by myself and I remember feeling so excited to explore these magical forests. I had grown up in cities, so I never knew how beautiful and peaceful nature could be until that day.
Contact Info:
- Address: 13008 Farm to Market 529 rd. Houston, Tx 77041
- Website: pizzajointcafe.com
- Phone: (832)-781- 8442
- Email: pizzajointcafe@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pizzajointcafe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pizzajointcafe/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PizzaJointcafe
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pizza-joint-houston
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