Starting with his job as a dishwasher in Newburyport, Massachusetts, David Bazirgan has been involved in restaurants since he was 15. He worked at most of the popular eateries in his hometown before venturing off San Diego at 19 in search of beautiful weather and occupational inspiration. After a year in Southern California, Bazirgan decided to move back home to Boston and pursue a formal education in culinary arts at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.
Bazirgan’s never ending struggle for perfection so impressed his pastry instructor that he introduced him to Chef Barbara Lynch, then at Galleria Italiana. Bazirgan’s first job out of school was with Lynch, who became his mentor and friend. Following a successful time at Galleria, Bazirgan worked as a line cook with Chef Todd English at his acclaimed Olives in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He was surrounded by English’s passion for Italian and Mediterranean cuisine and learned the importance of speed and multiple flavor combinations, while developing a good sense of business practice. Bazirgan’s formal education was rounded off by a short stint at Stan Frankenthaler’s Salamander, where Bazirgan tried his hand at pan-Asian cuisine.
In 1998, Bazirgan reunited with Lynch at her much anticipated restaurant, No. 9 Park, in historic Beacon Hill, and helped Lynch win the prestigious James Beard Award in 2003 for “Best Chef Northeast.” He joined the team for its opening as sous shef, and after one year was promoted to chef de cuisine and held this title for his remaining time there. This experience proved to be the most influential in the development of Bazirgan’s culinary and professional style. He launched and perfected seven- to nine-course seasonal tasting menus that became a hallmark of No.9 Park.
After five successful years at No.9 Park, it was time for Bazirgan to move on and move West, to experience the excitement of the food industry in San Francisco, with its culture of restaurant-goers, incomparable produce, and unlimited job opportunities. In fall of 2003, Bazirgan tried his hand at the upscale restaurant Elisabeth Daniel at Jackson Square but was then drawn to an opportunity to work with restaurateur Jocelyn Bulow at acclaimed Baraka, where he won a 2005 StarChefs.com Rising Star Award. Bazirgan also teamed up with Bulow at La Suite and Chez Papa, which he earned three stars from the San Francisco Chronicle. Bazirgan left Chez Papa in late 2010 to become the executive chef at the Fifth Floor in the Palomar Hotel, where his ingredient-driven American menu debuted in January 2011.
