Community Highlights: Meet Mona Bavar of DLISH Curated In Milan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mona Bavar.

Hi Mona, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Food has always been and will always be an important part of my life. I am honored to be a complex yet interesting mix of the magnificent Persian heritage that gives me roots in tradition and beauty and the continuously innovative and dynamic Western cultures that give me the flexibility to take shape and sprout creativity.

My family and I immigrated to the US from Iran in 1979. Unfortunately at that time, the political mood was quite negative towards Iranians – I will spare you the historical details but encourage you to read about it in order to better understand its people. As a result, my siblings and I suffered significant bullying in school by both our teachers as well as our classmates, often coming home filled with fear and confusion.

Regardless of the battles my parents were fighting as immigrants themselves, my mother and father always managed to make us feel safe and protected – especially in the kitchen and around the table. Breakfast and dinner were mandatory rituals centered around a simple yet beautifully prepared table. The meals were always traditional Persian dishes, reminding us of our rich culinary heritage. My parents would share stories of their childhoods and the memories they had left behind in the hope of a better life. My father would enrich our meals with history and geography, keeping us connected to our roots.

Of course, like most kids, at the time I didn’t appreciate the value of those moments, but looking back, I realize how significant these rituals were for me. Around this precious table, my mother made us feel safe by creating a warm, inviting environment free from judgment and prejudice. It became a sort of safe haven where we could gather around and express our thoughts, share our feelings and connect with our roots. We laughed, cried, debated, teased – essentially, we created memories while building a strong foundation.

Throughout my life, regardless of where I am or who I am with, my greatest joys come from gathering around a table. It is a setting where delectable tastes are savored, rare vintages are enjoyed and most importantly, relationships are honed. It is around this table that I have shared uncontrollable laughter fueled by those rare vintages, learned about the different cultures I have been privileged to experience, and cultivated friendships that have become important pillars in my life. It is fascinating how a plate of local food shared with a stranger can lead to a lasting friendship.

My upbringing, education, travels, my business, my relationships have all contributed significantly to my journey, giving birth to DLISH – an innovative gifting company centered around food, art and design. It is a tribute to my roots, to my family and our struggles, to the people who I have met along the way and who have generously shared pieces of themselves with me. This is what the Art of Gifting is all about.

Every food, drink or object sourced at DLISH speaks of tradition and centuries-old rituals. It takes us on historical journeys where we understand the origin and purpose of what we are experiencing. We learn to appreciate the time and the detail that goes into making every piece enjoyed around the table. The faces of the artisans, their hands, and their invaluable skills all take shape through their craft. It has been my mission to capture these priceless moments in the thoughtfully curated DLISH Gifts or around the intimate DLISH Table.

I am forever grateful to my parents for giving me these cherished memories that I consider precious gifts and for providing us with a place where we always felt safe. My personal voice and my sense of empowerment are one with the table and all its pieces. I am an Iranian-American living in Italy. My roots are deep and complex and my journey has been colorful with many ups and downs. The place where I have always felt inspired to candidly share my story, my roots are around a table.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The journey of an entrepreneur is a dynamic one. It takes you on a rollercoaster ride where you experience so many different emotions that you don’t know if you want to get off or go a second round. Of course, before getting on this ride, you can never imagine what awaits you. I had no idea of the emotional challenges I would face, especially as a woman. Every “no” or “not sure you are a fit” or silence was a personal blow to me, at least that is how it felt.

It took time for me to realize that it is not about me personally but that my products or services are just not a fit for that particular person. This is what tenacity and determination have taught me. It takes time, and I am still learning. Learning to stay focused on my vision and not to give in to self-doubt or naysayers.

As you know, we’re big fans of DLISH Curated In Milan. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
In a world of mass production and electronic communication, showing you really care can get lost in all the noise. I started DLISH to change that. I wanted to build a deeper emotional connection for both the gift giver as well as the gift receiver, to fuel the joyous spark we all remember from unwrapping gifts as little ones. The intrigue. The excitement. The timeless sense of ritual that is still etched in our memories. Inspired by the moments shared around the table exchanging stories, savoring tasty dishes, feeling emotions and creating memories, DLISH was born.

Our mission is to reinvent the gifting industry through meaningful and innovative solutions. From our personalized NFTs for corporate gifters to exclusive multisensory experiences in Italy to our luxury, limited edition, curated gift boxes, DLISH is rekindling the pleasure of possibility through the Art of Gifting for both corporate gifters as well as individuals. We are proud to be leaders in the innovative gifting space and to add style and creativity to the otherwise conventional industry.

In the 20 years that I have been working the industry, I have never found truly unique and inspired gifting solutions. To this day, corporate clients come to us because they know that DLISH thoughtfully and creatively brings the brand story to life through gifts. I am grateful to work with a team of dedicated creatives, designers and culinary specialists to continuously source new and exquisite gifts. It is important for us to tell the story behind each object. Our recently launched gifting experience – The DLISH Table – pays homage to a forgotten community of artisans by taking visitors to their centuries-old workshops where both craftsmen and designers come together to share their stories of inspiration and passion. It is important for us to communicate the origin of each gift we source, the history and the people behind them.

Currently, we are working on a beta NFT project with 5 companies that will be gifting NFTs as their corporate gifting strategy. It is a project that I am very proud of as it brings together my love for NFTs and their future and the providing unique and innovative solutions for gifting. For the future, we are looking to launch the DLISH Table in the Metaverse and offer a more dynamic and extraordinary solution to gift-givers looking to elevate their gifting.

We are trailblazers and we are proud to fill a void in a space where sparking joy and delightfully surprising are the main objectives.

What matters most to you? Why?
As a forced immigrant living in the US during a time when my country of origin was under severe political scrutiny, I became quickly aware of the injustice that surrounded and continues to surround me and people like me. My hardest memories to recount are the ones when cruel verbal and physical attacks were carried out on me and my family by ignorant people. The feeling of discrimination and fear still resonates every time I see the injustice carried towards the new generation of forced immigrants.

Today, when I review the past 40+ years as an immigrant, I can say that the most important thing has been bringing people together and teaching them about the origins and history of the people they may label as terrorists, thieves, freeloaders, etc. My years of experience have proven that the best way for doing this is around the table sharing a meal. The table is a safe, neutral place where we, from all different backgrounds, come together to speak about our cultures, the spices that made the dish, the history of the people and where they come from.

When I went to Italy for my MBA, I met a lot of people from different parts of the world – China, Italy, France, Greece, Bosnia, and Turkey – each one with a different history, culture, and dish. As is the way I was raised, I would invite my classmates to my home and we would have dinners where everyone would bring a dish specific to their country. During these dinners, we learned about each other and what our stories were. We broke boundaries and prejudices; we built strong relationships and memories – all triggered and guided by food. As James Beard said, “food is our common ground, a universal experience”.

I have learned that the only way to break boundaries and end discrimination is by coming together around a table and sharing a meal, and that is what I am doing with the DLISH Table.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dlish.us/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dlish.us/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/dlishm
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGiUrUGqlyY4rM2wMj28RpQ

Image Credits
All images are property of DLISH