An Iranian, born in Germany, raised in America armed with a vision to start his own brand based in his experience and heritage, with the techniques and style he's learned from his culinary journey.

Despite cooking professionally for over a decade, it's not until recently he felt the pull to reimagine the food of his heritage. Afrand started his cooking journey on the award-winning "The Lime Truck," during the height of food truck popularity. His next stop was attending the Culinary Institute of America Greystone in Napa Valley. While in the valley, he fulfilled his dream of working for acclaimed chef Thomas Keller. The mentorship he received working for the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group helped shape both his culinary and personal ethos.

In 2013, Afrand returned to Southern California to help open fast casual restaurants as the culinary director for TLT Food and The Stand. After 6 years, Afrand stepped into his current role as the R&D chef for El Pollo Loco , developing and implementing menu items for 500 restaurants.

Bezan Berim is a pop-up restaurant based in Orange County serving nouvelle Persian cuisine.