Today we’d like to introduce you to Belal Kattan.
Hi Belal, 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?
My cooking career started because I simply wanted to make pasta. When I moved to Texas, I briefly lived in Plano. I went door to door with my resume asking chefs to teach me to make pasta but no one would hire me without me working the line too.
Back then, I didn’t understand why, but now I get it. Eventually, I gave up and accepted a line cook position at Gemma where I’d slowly start learning pasta too. Overtime I learned to like the cooking side.
I knew I wouldn’t be any good for a while, and that I needed to work hard. I focused on getting a bit better every day, even if it was just 1%.
I didn’t want to wait to get better, so I started practicing making pasta every day. Before work, after work, weekends, all the time. Being an inexperienced line cook meant I didn’t get paid much, to where at some point, I couldn’t afford the eggs & flour anymore to practice making pasta. So I decided to start practicing with play-dough. It was cheap, it felt like pasta dough, it didn’t dry out as quickly, and even if it did I just added a touch of water and I was back to practicing.
After Gemma, I had a brief stint at Sachet, it’s sister restaurant. I later landed at Carte Blanche for nearly two years, then I took a sous chef position at CryWolf, then Georgie, I then launched Bazaar.
CryWolf is where I really dived deep into the full circle of making a pasta dish and not just the parts of one. It was fun, I had full creative control, I rotated several pastas every 2-3 weeks. I practiced, developed techniques, made mistakes, learned new tricks, and that’s when my professional identity developed as a pasta maker began.
After being in Dallas for a while, and working in many different levels of kitchens from fine dining to casual, new American to French, I started to develop my own cooking. It’s still a work in progress, and probably always will be.
Bazaar is Syrian & Levantine at its core, It’s where Syrian meets everything. Syrian cuisine is diverse by default. Syria has a long history of being influenced by major countries such as France, England, Spain, Italy, and also happens to be located in Asia. You can just imagine how diverse the food & cultural scene is there.
I grew up eating Thai chilis and sambal, desserts were eclairs, tarts and petite fours, we have our own versions of ricotta and fresh mozzarella, we grill using equipment almost identical to a binchotan grill. I can go on and on.
Back to the pop-ups. My first pop-up was at a Bar, Rayo bar and lounge, on 5/9/2025. It was successful, that success lead to me quitting Georgie, and take a sink-or-swim approach to Bazaar.
Over time the opportunity, and the hosting venues grew bigger and more credible.
I’ve now done events at some of Dallas’ best restaurants, including Michelin recommended ones.
I’ve been fortunate to have so many people supporting me and believing in me. By no means has it been me on my own. I’m grateful to all of them.
Maybe Bazaar was always meant to be just a pop-up, maybe it’ll turn into its own brick & mortar one day. Either way, I’m happy with how far it’s come in less than a year.
Brick & mortar or not, Bazaar has been something that Dallas has welcomed with open arms. That’s more than I can ask for.
I hope my experience inspires other chefs to build a culture of collaboration, and support other chefs take the leap. I’d love to see more chefs do collab dinners, support each other, and create the big picture culture in Dallas that everyone wants and asks for.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not a smooth road. Bazaar being such a small operation, I’ve had to do 90%+ of the prep every time, moving all my plate ware back & fourth, and I’ve had to wear multiple hats, media manager, promoter, executive chef, sous chef, PR, sales etc. all of it. It’s especially challenging having to work in a new kitchen every time, train a new staff every time, make a new menu every time. I wouldn’t do it any other way though. Nothing good ever came easily, this is no different.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My business is a private dining & pop-up concept with Syrian roots at it’s center, but it’s combined with global influence, and modern technique.
What you should know is that Bazaar wouldn’t have made it this far without the support of the entire Dallas dining scene from chefs, to business owners, to guests, to magazines etc. you get the idea. I’m very grateful for the support I’ve received from everyone.
I do a lot. I wear a lot of hats, chef, marketer, sales, prep cook, PR, event coordinator etc.
I specialize in pasta, I always have, and will. It’s why I even started cooking.
What sets me apart is that I really don’t think there’s any rules to cooking as long as no one’s getting harmed. That doesn’t mean do things wrong, it just means try things differently every now and then. Some of my best tricks started with “what if I did this instead?” Or “Why can’t I do it this way?” Or simply one way makes more sense to me than the traditional way.
I’m very proud that my brand has built a culture that has earned the trust of chefs, diners, media outlets, magazines, local business owners, and everything in between. A healthy culture feeds into every other part of the experience for everyone.
My brand is focused on fine dining that appears, at first glance, to be French-Italian, but in all reality it’s Levantine at it’s core. That comes through with everything I do, the private events, the pop-ups, all of it.
What matters most to you? Why?
The most important thing is to create a good culture & experience for everyone involved. A culture that will be the base of long lasting relationships with guests, other chefs, industry colleagues, purveyors, local business owners etc.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have found that culture, and in turn that same culture has helped me. So many friends, industry colleagues etc. have shown me support because they know that’s what’s important to me.
Pricing:
- My pop-ups are typically $135-$150/person
- Private events vary per event.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Daniel Gerona
