AUDIO SLIDESHOW | In her own words, owner and chef Simin Faraji tells about the early days of La Maison and the difficulties she faced when starting her business.
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By Vicki Chen
December 6, 2011
"A cosmopolitan kitchen can only come from the hands of a cosmopolitan chef."
These are the words of Simin Faraji, owner and chef at La Maison de Crème, a Persian restaurant and European-style bakery located in the Mercado La Paloma.
At first glance, La Maison appears to be just one of many colorful eateries at the Mercado, but with a closer look and a curious palate, it's easy to discover a gastronomical playground filled with grilled meat, fresh vegetables and sweet, satisfying desserts.
Faraji was trained in Germany in European-style baking and has brought her skills to create dozens of desserts from scratch every day. She bakes cakes, cookies, eclairs, brownies and much more, all with the skill of a well-trained pastry chef.
Six years ago, she began working at the Mercado with a woman who sold wholesale Mexican baked goods, but when the original vendor left, she decided to take over and thus, La Maison de Crème was born.
At the start, Faraji encountered all sorts of barriers to running a small business. As a one-woman band, she took care of the cooking, cleaning, cash register and all aspects of the business.
The work days were long, up to 14 hours a day, but Faraji channeled her passion for baking and culinary creation into a slowly growing business.
As a female small business owner, Faraji feels proud for having overcome the struggles of getting her footing in the business.
Today, customers come to the Mercado for an affordable lunch or a sweet mid-day treat.
"Fruit tart, crème brulée, cheesecake, cream puff swan, peanut butter fudge, flan, napoleon, fudge, florentine, rice pudding, baklava with honey..."
This is just a partial list that Faraji points out in the brightly lit pastry displays at the front of her shop. She continues, almost in wonder of herself at the variety of her pastries.
"We have really great variety and most importantly, everything is from scratch," Faraji said.
Many of Faraji's desserts and dishes are made with organic ingredients from her garden in Sherman Oaks.
"Our food is everything fresh," she said. "Organic fig jam, orange peel. Most of the things, I'm trying to make organic."
Faraji also takes custom cake orders for weddings and birthdays. La Maison also serves espresso drinks, coffee, crèpes, gelato and Persian sorbet.
On the more savory side of La Maison, Faraji brings to her guests a wide variety of authentic Persian dishes, passed down from her Iranian family. She learned the recipes from her grandmother and mother. Now, she has passed down the traditions to her daughter, and says that even her young granddaughter enjoys hanging around the kitchen.
One of the most popular dishes at La Maison is the shish kebab.
"'Shish' means 'six' in Farsi, and 'kebab' means 'something on a stick'," Faraji explains. "Six pieces of steak marinated, then we grill it on the fire."
The meat is served with fresh salad, basmati rice, grilled vegetables, pita bread and hummus.
Faraji said her menu caters to meat lovers and vegetarians alike, given the varieyt of dishes she offers.
Despite the popularity of her food and many returning customers, Faraji said for the past two years, she has felt pressure from the management of the Mercado to leave her location
The Mercado La Paloma is managed by the non-profit Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, which has filed a lawsuit against Faraji, in an effort to evict her from the Mercado.
The two parties are in court this week and the case is scheduled to be resolved by Dec. 8. It is uncertain how the outcome will affect Faraji's business.
"Their job is to help small businesses to grow, and they're not doing that," Faraji said.
The Esperanza Community Housing Corporation would not comment on the case until its resolution.
Faraji said regardless of the outcome of the case, her passion for baking and cooking is unwavering and she will try her best to continue serving fresh, homemade food to her customers.
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