Lost Art original piece in Washington, DC--Photo: RJS

Recently we had the pleasure of meeting prominent (and tireless) Iranian-American artist, Farzad Kohan…And uncontrollably, he’s managed to turn us into a collector, curator, fan, and friend.

“Art is the purest vehicle of the human expression: When all else fails we communicate our emotions, our ideals, our hopes and dreams through our art.” Quips Kohan, whose ability to connect on an-almost spiritual level with his audience, still fascinates us. Continue Reading

Original Photos: Via Bratz

Last summer, we covered a case in which a juror was removed for making slurs about Isaac Larian’s ethnicity, the Jewish, Iranian-born CEO of MGA, maker of Bratz, calling Iranians: “rude” and “thieves” who have “stolen other person’s [sic] ideas,” during a legal battle between Mattel and Barbie.

District Judge Stephen Larson chose to oversimplify the hate-filled remarks made during trial deliberations in 2008, and at the time, concluded (without any mention of himself): “Although the remarks offended and upset several of the jurors, the remarks did not, in any way, affect or influence the decision made by the jury.”

Despite the efforts of the Anti-Defamation League, the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), the Iranian American Jewish Federation (IAJF), and the Iranian American Bar Association (IABA)–who all joined MGA and Larian in appealing the case with Mattel–Larson granted Mattel ownership of Bratz dolls.

“IABA joined in the amicus filing to the Ninth Circuit on the issue of juror bias against Mr. Larian, which went to the very issue being litigated—namely that all Iranians are ‘thieves’.  Based on its potential impact on Iranian-Americans and their equal treatment under the law, this issue was of great importance to us as a Bar Association, and of course to our members.” IABA representative, Salman Elmi tells Persianesque Magazine.

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L: Mahee Doudy va Khaviar (Smoked Whitefish & Caviar on Sangak Toasts) Geoff Mottram, R: Chef Maziar Farivar

Have you ever wondered why there is such a lack of Persian Chefs in the culinary world?

We have.

So we searched and researched–sniffing around the global kitchen–and found our first five-star/diamond (in our opinion at least) Persian Chef in the US: Maziar Farivar, of Georgetown’s Prospect St.-treasure, Peacock Cafe.

Dubbed, “Peacock” for short by regulars, the atmosphere inside his restaurant feels warm and hospitable–like most Persian homes–but not intrusively so.

“When people walk through our doors, they become our guests.” Says the James Beard Foundation-acknowledged Farivar.

Being recognized by the prestigious James Beard Foundation, a non-profit and center of America’s culinary community–whose mission is to “celebrate, nurture, and preserve America’s diverse culinary heritage and future,”–is the ultimate honor to receive for American Chefs, yet Farivar, the man behind the DC-hot-spot has already been there twice; once as a member of the DC All-Stars Chefs team, and more recently as the featured Chef for the organization’s “Norouz: Persian New Year” event, where Farivar served a Norouz dinner to 75 guests/culinary industry elite. Continue Reading

"Bad Girls" by Bahar Sabzevari--From Robert Adanto's Documentary; "Pearls on the Ocean Floor"--Photo courtesy of Robert Adanto

Director Robert Adanto’s new documentary film “Pearls on the Ocean Floor,”–shot in London, Berlin, NYC, San Francisco, and Leipzig–while a “friend provided some footage from Tehran”– interviews some of the most influential Iranian female artists living and working in and outside of Iran, including: Shadi Ghadirian, Shirin Neshat, Parastou Forouhar, Haleh Anvari, Leila Pazooki, Afshan Ketabchi, Malekeh Nayiny, Bahar Sabzevari, Afsoon, Gohar Dashti, Negar Ahkami, Taravat Talepasand, Shadi Yousefian, and Mona Hakimi-Schuler. Continue Reading

With a perfect mix of action, comedy, drama, suspense, and adventure–the Shahnameh and A Thousand and One Nights-inspired Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, delivers!

The characters are built fast and smart. So don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with the video-game, you’ll have no problem understanding the connections and dynamics of the characters, or the plot in general. Continue Reading

Iranian-American Comedian, Mehran Khaghani--Original Photo: Leah LaRiccia

In some cultures being “openly gay” can be difficult to navigate. Yet, gay Persian comedian, Mehran Khaghani, sets the stage for the rest by joyful example(s): Living and thinking fabulously.

Mehran Khaghani–whose only time spent in the ”komode” (closet), is to choose an outfit for one of his many gigs–is a former PM for the office of the President of Provost at Harvard, but more importantly: He’s an incredibly funny and proud Iranian-American!

“I’m tied to the most beautiful culture on the planet,” Khaghani proudly tells us. “Our poetry, music, architecture, the beauty of our hearts…And of course, seeing the Iranian people, and their faces, demonstrating against the Iranian election this past summer brought up the most intense feelings of solidarity and love.  I just kept crying, sometimes out of sadness and sometimes out of sheer inspiration.”

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L to R: Big Bad Boo Studios Founders; Aly Jetha and Shabnam Rezaei

Washington, DC–The 1979 revolution resulted in a clear and massive brain drain for Iran and created an estimated annual financial loss comparative to the  yearly cost of the Iran-Iraq War: Causing Iran to miss out on the power of its people’s collective intelligence. However, the flip side is: Iranians live all over the world now and some have had a chance to spread their reach over the last 30-plus years–unceasingly growing; with healthy force, and in hypersonic form.

Persianesque Magazine’s Iranian-American Woman of the Year for 2009, Tehran-born super-entrepreneur Shabnam Rezaei is a classic example. It takes a lot to be featured as our Iranian-American woman of the year, but Shabnam Rezaei has more than enough accomplishments to put even the most eager shaagerd avval (top student) to shame.

Chosen by “a panel of independent judges to participate in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women“, as well as being selected as one of Business in Vancouver’s “40 under 40″, Shabnam, also won an accolade  at the sixth annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business in New York, last November.

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Washington, DC–Marking the 30-year anniversary of the Islamic Republic’s existence and reign in Iran, the year 2009 went by…well, fast. The summer of 2009, not so much.

The Iranian election–which took the world by shock with its results and brutal force used on Iranian citizens by government-led orders–began in June and lasted throughout the summer: Most of which, we spent watching videos of our fellow Iranians in distress and under severe  and inhumane conditions. Seconds seemed like hours and hours seemed like seconds as we were entranced and lost in an intense phase of tweet-based news flowing out of Iran–much due to the effort of citizen journalists, social networking and micro-blogging sites–but one substantial and influential player in the game of reportage that needs to be credited is Pulitzer Prize-finalist Iranian-American journalist, and Persianesque Magazine’s “Man of the Year”: Borzou Daragahi.

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