Daily Inspiration: Meet Samir Hamawe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samir Hamawe.

Hi Samir, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up as a son of immigrant parents who moved to the United States and settled in the San Fernando Valley and worked in the foodservice industry and later opened Guidos Pizza & Pasta in Northridge, CA over 22 years ago. Through college, I worked as a cook and driver in my family business for over six years. I later completed a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and then a Master’s degree in Counseling. I began a career coordinating programs around mental health awareness at Cal State University Northridge’s with a program called Joint Advocates on Disordered Eating (JADE) which highlights food culture and harmful ideas around eating that impact college-age students, where I learned a lot about diet culture and it’s harmful impacts on people that are not able to sustain a trending diet. I began posting food I would prepare for myself and cook for friends when they’d visit. They began saying that they would pay me to prepare their meals, and the rest is history. I came up with the name, Mindful Meals LA to highlight our mission statement into the name which is to challenge trending diets by creating a “Mindful Meal” to help people develop a sustainable relationship with food. I had no money to start the business and started preparing my meals out of my home with my partner. We began cooking for primarily friends and family that wanted to support and built our following today. Currently, we prepare meals on a weekly basis cooking and delivering hundreds of meals per month. We hope to bring more visibility to our brand so that we may educate our clients on the harmful impacts of trending diets by preparing them delicious, high-end, balanced meals that are anything but restrictive and a major upgrade from everyday meal options.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I didn’t come from a family of entrepreneurs or an upper-class upbringing. My father built his business and has successfully run it for over 22 years. In seeking mentorship from my father, it was clear our mindset around business was different, so I had to find pockets of advice that I could use and for other items had to seek out the answers myself. I had to learn how to create systems that simply didn’t exist for running my business effectively. My business was done initially operating solely through Instagram until I was able to save enough money for a website. I made many mistakes and had to be okay with having a lot of questions and not many answers. Many of the questions I had surrounding building a formal food business was met with much skepticism from family members and friends. I had to remain hungry for answers and curious for ways to build my business. We moved into a commercial kitchen this year, purchased a commercial cargo van, and are in the process of onboarding interns and a part-time employee to help make our business more efficient.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My entire career timeline has been invested in human service. I went from retail to lifeguard, to behavior therapist, to foster youth advocate, to mental health coordinator, to career college counselor, to now entrepreneur. I had to really hone-in on the skills that I had gained through each career and my unique experiences. In high school, I gained skills in photoshop being a part of yearbook which helped me create beautiful menus for my business. My meals are unique, vibrant, and colorful, and of course delicious. My clients say that they feel like they are eating a restaurant quality meal made with love. I’m known for putting together menus that provide options that you get excited for, that you feel good after eating, and that help you from policing your food with a restrictive diet. You can eat my meals knowing that you will have a balanced meal that is perfectly portioned and made from everybody.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite memory is sitting outside of my dad’s pizza place with my cousins drinking Pepsi and playing tag in the plaza and then eating pizza after.

Pricing:

• Balsamic Grilled Chicken – 11.99
• Spicy Cajun Shrimp – 13.99
• Tender Shredded Beef – 13.99
• Miso Salmon – 15.99
• Tofu Pad Thai Stir Fry – 12.99 & Macro Bowl w/ Turmeric Tahini Dressing 12.99

Contact Info:

• Email: Samir.hamawe@mindfulmealsla.com
• Website: www.mindfulmealsla.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mindfulmealsla
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mindful-Meals-Los-Angeles-102293648351895

Image Credits:
Photo Credit: Samir Hamawe