Shereen Arazm

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]

Shereen Arazm
Born
Shereen Arazm Koules

1972 (age 48–49)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
OccupationRestaurateur, nightclub owner, television personality
Known forJudge on Top Chef Canada
Spouse(s)Oren Koules

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.[2][4] 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.[13] 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][14]

References
  1. 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.
  2. Consiglio, Alex (3 June 2013). "Top Chef Canada judge Shereen Arazm Koules always makes it home for dinner". Toronto Star. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  3. Kelly, Deirdre (15 June 2013). "The library is Shereen Arazm's hiding place". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  4. "Tastemaker: Shereen Arazm". View the Vibe. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  5. Robock, Karen (16 August 2014). "Glamorous Dinner Party Advice From a Canada's Top Chef Judge". Flare. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  6. "Shereen Arazm, Restaurateur and Resident Judge on Top Chef Canada". Food Network Canada. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  7. 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.
  8. Nelson, Steffie (20 June 2007). "Clubland Empire". LA Weekly. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  9. "From T.O., con amore". National Post. 17 March 2007. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  10. Sterling, Scott (9 October 2009). "Wonderland opens in Cahuenga Corridor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  11. Odell, Kat (15 July 2013). "Glorious & Grand, Terroni Shares Its Italian Vision Dtown". Los Angeles Eater. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  12. Wilford, Denette (6 June 2014). "'Top Chef Canada' Cancelled: Reality Cooking Show Chopped From Food Network". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  13. Cristodero, Damian (9 September 2008). "Wedding bells for Koules". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  14. 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.
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