At ezCater, we’re inspired by chefs and restaurant operators who take their passion for food and catering and turn it into a career. As a partner who helps them build their catering business, we’re proud to share their stories with you. This is Beau Nazary’s Restaurant Roots.

When people enjoy a lavish Mediterranean meal from Cafe Izmir, few know that a family’s story of survival runs deep in the menu. In 1978, Beau Nazary’s family moved from Iran to Dallas, Texas, caught in the middle of the Iranian hostage crisis. As Beau Nazary, now a co-owner of Cafe Izmir, explains, “We got stuck here. We couldn’t go back. We had no money and no English.” 

Today, his family owns Cafe Izmir, which has won awards for “Best Mediterranean Restaurant in Dallas” nearly every year. Cafe Izmir builds meals around the family’s personal food memories with dishes like grilled shrimp anointed with lemon and saffron oil and crispy, juicy grilled meats. If you ask Beau, he’ll tell you that Cafe Izmir won those awards by making customers feel full and at home, regardless of whether they dine at his restaurant or order catering. This is the story behind Beau Nazary’s Cafe Izmir.

Discover more “Restaurant Roots” stories celebrating chefs, restaurant operators, and catering.