BDNY 2025: Menu as Brand Narrative

Kicking off our weekend, our first BDNY session featured celebrated culinary voices, Chef Zubair Mohajir and Chef Rishi Manoj the founders of from Chicago’s Mirra. Moderated by Aria’s own Liz Neuffer, the conversation explored how menu creation, business strategy, and research come together to form a holistic culinary and design concept. Chefs Rishi and Zubair shared their approach to translating food, memory, and storytelling into cohesive culinary and spatial experiences—an approach rooted in their close friendship and creative partnership. The discussion focused on the process of translating culinary experience and storytelling into a cohesive spatial and visual design. That relationship is a driving force behind Mirra, a restaurant recognized for its thoughtful and refined expression of Indian and Mexican cuisine.

For both chefs, food is never just about flavor—it’s about context. Chef Mohajir shared how their cuisine is shaped by migration, history, and lived experience. Dishes like lamb barbacoa biryani are not fusion for fusion’s sake; they are intentional intersections of Indian, Mexican, and global traditions. Every aroma, texture, and presentation is designed to engage guests emotionally and physically—before they ever take a bite. As Mohajir explained, today’s diners can eat anything, anywhere; what they’re really craving is understanding why a dish exists and how it arrived on their table. Chef Rishi expanded on how their personal background and cultural experiences inform the conceptualization of new menus, which ultimately inform and enhance the Mirra brand narrative. Together the founders view food as a reflection of shared histories and personal journeys, allowing the concept to feel organic rather than manufactured.

“The dishes make sense for us because it comes from who we are…The story is real, and the guests can feel that.”
– Zubair Mohajir, Lilac Tiger, Coach House, and Mirra

The chefs emphasized the importance of balancing creative culinary expression with strategy. At Mirra, the Indian and Mexican influences were initially unfamiliar to the local audience, so the menu was intentionally designed to feel approachable while gradually educating guests on regional flavors and techniques. This approach allowed certain new dishes, rich in flavor and storytelling, to become brand defining items. The design followed a similarly intentional path. Rather than executing a fixed vision at opening, Mirra’s space was designed to evolve alongside the brand. Early decisions prioritized warmth, comfort, and openness, while allowing room for refinement as the restaurant matured. Over time, elements such as seating layouts, finishes, restrooms, and the chef’s counter were adjusted to better support the guest experience. Restaurants should be treated like living organisms—not frozen concepts. This adaptive mindset mirrors how menus evolve—and reinforces the idea that design, like food, benefits from iteration, responsiveness, and growth. 

Community plays a central role in the growth of any brand. Many of Mirra’s earliest supporters became investors, creating a unique dynamic where guests are deeply invested in the restaurant’s success. The sense of shared ownership carries through to hospitality and training, where the team is taught not just what a dish is, but why it exists. Storytelling is embedded into service, transforming meals into moments of connection. The chefs emphasized that the future of brand-driven restaurants lies in authenticity, adaptability, and collaboration. When food, space, and story are developed together with intention, restaurants become more than destinations. They become communities.

Both chefs stressed that their strongest design partnerships were built on conversation and collaboration, not control. Designers who take the time to understand their personal histories, taste the food, and absorb the energy of the concept are able to translate its essence into space. The result wasn’t a designer-driven aesthetic, but a reflection of the people behind the restaurant. As Chef Kumar noted, great design doesn’t require the most expensive materials — it requires curiosity, empathy, and an understanding of who the space is meant to serve.