Shereen Arazm
Shereen Arazm | |
|---|---|
| Born | Shereen Arazm Koules 1972 (age 51–52) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation(s) | Restaurateur, nightclub owner, television personality |
| Known for | Judge on Top Chef Canada |
| Spouse | Oren Koules |
Shereen Arazm Koules (born 1972) is a Canadian restaurateur, nightclub owner,[1] and television personality[2] who lives in Los Angeles.[3] She was also the "resident" judge on the highly-rated television series, Top Chef Canada for four seasons and the brand ambassador for Nespresso Canada in 2013 and 2014.[4][5] LA Times Magazine named Arazm one of the top 4 entertainment hosts in Los Angeles in 2007.[6]
Early life and education
Arazm was born in Toronto in 1972 to a Scottish mother and Iranian father. Her father left Iran at the age of 14 to study in Europe. The family eventually settled in Toronto.[7] Arazm waited tables in Toronto at the age of 18[8] at Terroni restaurant.[9] She then moved to New York City where she attended art school for a week and half before dropping out. She tended bar and managed restaurants in New York.[8] In 2000, Arazm lost out on an opportunity to purchase a bar on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. After that incident, she moved to Los Angeles where she quickly found work as a bartender at a club called, Las Palmas.[1]
Career
Arazm's entrepreneurial career began in earnest in 2003 when she partnered with her Las Palmas boss, Loyal Pennings, to create Concorde, a nightclub in Los Angeles. The first major event held at the club was a birthday party for Ben Affleck thrown by then girlfriend Jennifer Lopez.[1] In 2004, she partnered with the Dolce Group to open Geisha House, a sushi restaurant also located in Los Angeles.[8] Also in 2004, she bought out Loyal Pennings' shares in Concorde to own it outright. She would later rebrand the club to the more feminine "Shag" in 2005.[1]
She opened several clubs from 2007 to 2008 including Parc[8] and Central.[1] In 2009, she opened another club called Wonderland in Hollywood's Cahuenga Corridor.[10] In 2007, she partnered with Cosimo Mammoliti to bring Terroni (the restaurant she worked at as an 18-year-old in Toronto) to Los Angeles.[9] The two opened a second Terroni location in downtown Los Angeles in 2013 along with additional partner, Max Stefanelli.[11]
In 2010, Food Network Canada announced that Arazm would be the "resident" judge in the upcoming Top Chef Canada television series.[4][2] Arazm served as judge for the show's entire 4-season run before it was eventually canceled in 2014.[12] Arazm had previously been featured in an episode of the Canadian Slice Channel program, Women on Top in 2007.[6]
Personal life
Arazm married film producer and former Tampa Bay Lightning co-owner, Oren Koules, in 2008. The two had met by happenstance three years prior on a flight from Toronto to Los Angeles.[10] The couple has had two daughters, Sam (born 2008) and Neve (born 2011). She also has a stepson, Miles (born 1994), from her husband's previous marriage. Miles is a professional ice hockey player.[2][13]
References
- ^ a b c d e Le Tellier, Alexandra (8 March 2012). "Ladies of the Night: How a Few Fierce Women Are Revolutionizing the LA Club Scene". In Our Words. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ a b c Consiglio, Alex (3 June 2013). "Top Chef Canada judge Shereen Arazm Koules always makes it home for dinner". Toronto Star. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ Kelly, Deirdre (15 June 2013). "The library is Shereen Arazm's hiding place". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Tastemaker: Shereen Arazm". View the Vibe. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ Robock, Karen (16 August 2014). "Glamorous Dinner Party Advice From a Canada's Top Chef Judge". Flare. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "Shereen Arazm, Restaurateur and Resident Judge on Top Chef Canada". Food Network Canada. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ Cameron, Laura (9 June 2011). "The List: 10 things restaurateur and Top Chef Canada judge Shereen Arazm can't live without". Toronto Life. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c d Nelson, Steffie (20 June 2007). "Clubland Empire". LA Weekly. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "From T.O., con amore". National Post. 17 March 2007. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ a b Sterling, Scott (9 October 2009). "Wonderland opens in Cahuenga Corridor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 March 2015. Cite error: The named reference "LAT" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Odell, Kat (15 July 2013). "Glorious & Grand, Terroni Shares Its Italian Vision Dtown". Los Angeles Eater. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Wilford, Denette (6 June 2014). "'Top Chef Canada' Cancelled: Reality Cooking Show Chopped From Food Network". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Sepich, Scott (9 February 2015). "Winterhawks' Miles Koules 'loving it' in Portland, hoping his pro hockey dream has Hollywood ending". The Oregonian. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
External links
- Dolce Group official website.
- Top Chef Canada official website.
- Shereen Arazm at the Chef and Restaurant Database.