Chef Dante is the executive chef for the upscale Mediterranean restaurant hidden in a Serra Mesa office complex.
SAN DIEGO — Inside an office complex in Serra Mesa is an unexpected gem with a unique name.
The vibe inside Boujiemana is meant to be “approachable luxury.” There are high ceilings with grand light fixtures and intricate, beautiful artwork on the walls. Yet, there’s also sports playing on flat screen TVs at the bar, and occasionally you may see two Boxer dogs named Cooper and Mini roaming around.
Dante Cecchini is the Executive Chef. He explains the meaning behind the name.
“Boujiemana means to be ‘bougie,’ meaning like sort of extravagant, and then ‘mana’ means from God,” he said.
The upscale, yet casual restaurant has a Mediterranean menu. Chef Dante describes his food as honest.
“Ten years ago, if you would’ve asked me what kind of chef I was, I would tell you, ‘I cook anything better than anybody,'” he said. “Now there’s so much more I don’t know than I do know. Just being humble to that.”
“It doesn’t have to be elaborate, doesn’t have to be like, super over the top, it just needs to be honest,” he said.
“As humans, we’re taught to make something better, we have to add something to it. Whether it’s food or something else, ‘What does it need? What does it need?’ At this point in my career, I’m just like, ‘Well, this doesn’t taste quite right, what do we take away from it?'” he added.
The first dish I try is Kousa, zucchini stuffed with lamb, harissa, pine nuts, and golden raisins. The tenderness of the meat, coupled with the explosion of flavor, is delicious.
Boujiemana opened in November 2023. Last year, it was named one of Yelp’s Best New Restaurants in the country. The owner, Samer Khouli, owns the entire building near Aero Drive and Kearny Villa Road. His staffing agency is next door. He originally planned to turn the space into a cafeteria for employees, but instead decided to open something more.
“I’m stoked to be here, because there’s not a whole lot of other restaurants outside of Convoy that are doing something like how we’re doing it here,” said Chef Dante.
The restaurant is dog-friendly on the patio. Khouli’s dogs, Cooper and Mini, are the pets you might spot roaming around the restaurant.
“They’re kind of like our mascots here. They’re great. Every day, the owner comes in for lunch, brings the dogs. Every day, we make chicken and rice for the dogs. They’re sweet,” said Chef Dante.
There are fruit trees out front and a small greenhouse where they grow their own vegetables.
“Everything we grow in here we use in our restaurants,” he said.
The next dish I try is a stuffed eggplant with zucchini, spring onion, sweet peppers, garlic and sungold tomatoes. The texture and flavors melt together in a delicious dish.
Chef Dante’s Background
Chef Dante grew up in San Francisco in an Italian household, where they all sat down for dinner as a family at least once a week and said grace.
“I learned to cook from my nona,” he said. “It was just, you know, Italian, you know, a Sicilian, Italian household in San Francisco.”
“I remember my nona showing me how to make pasta dough. And, you know, she had big, thick wrists, right? All she would make was a lot of pasta. And it was, it was cool, because I thought it was a lot of fun. And really, she’s just putting us to work, you know?” he laughed.
He recalls his dad teaching him how to make Mushroom Risotto.
“I remember asking him questions and then also giving him feedback,” he said, smiling. “He didn’t love it.”
Though everyone in his family chose careers in real estate, he was drawn to the kitchen.
“This is more interesting. This is more exciting,” said Chef Dante. “[My family], they were supportive. I think they were a little annoyed, but ultimately supportive,” he laughed.
Giving Back
The owner donates 3 percent of Boujiemana’s sales each month to a different non-profit.
“I think it’s always great to be a part of the community, and if we can contribute and give back and kind of select different charities to work with, it feels really good,” said Chef Dante.