Hisham Diab

Chef/Owner

Diab began his culinary journey at Oakland Community College, before cutting his teeth in the kitchen at Cafe Cortina in Farmington Hills and making the leap to Hyde Park to round out his education at the CIA. It was then in New York that Diab was brought in as an extern under Gadbaw during his time at the lauded Marea.

“While I was working [at Marea], I grew my love even more for cooking on the fine dining Italian side,” says Diab. “With my background at Cafe Cortina and working for Jared at Marea, I kind of found my own style, and want to just offer what I think really good and traditional Italian seafood is to everybody.”

After completing culinary school, Diab spent some time consulting overseas in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Qatar, before returning to Michigan. Back in metro Detroit, he opened a short-lived, fast-casual spot inside a gas station in Livonia from 2021 to the end of 2022 called Pump 5 Grille.

“I was able to really offer the food that I like to eat on a comfort level and on a carryout level so it was fun,” says Diab. “But this is something that I’ve craved since I decided to be a chef.”