about us

About Moosh

About Our Directors

2019_02_Resident_Chef_Behzad_361_©NicoSchinco

Behzad Jamshidi

Chef and Executive Director & Founder

Behzad Jamshidi is the articulate and free-wheeling mind behind some of New York’s most innovative communal dining experiences and programs. As the Executive Director of Moosh NYC, a hospitality centered community organization, he works to lead social change with his teams throughout the food industry by incubating ventures, projects, community initiatives & immersive programs on behalf of marginalized and traditionally disenfranchised groups and peoples.
Behzad wants to challenge his role as a chef by exploring the anthropology and culture of food, beginning always from a personal exploration of peoples, while staring through the lens of his heritage as an Iranian. He continuously seeks growth through culinary and social gestures which strive to take every person, from collaborators to guest, and empower them towards more meaningful connections with one another.

At the heart of his programs, Behzad believes in the ethos that every aspect of food should strive to be holistic and sustainable. And those values have found him exploring and promoting his work throughout various heritage rich and significant locations across the world, and throughout the many diverse communities in America.

Since 2018, Behzad has created, consulted & advised over 200 ventures + projects alone, and has worked with some of the largest agencies and brands from Virgin Group to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan. Jamshidi’s immersive work has been recognized in the media from The New York Times, to Vogue, Food + Wine and more. In 2019 Jamshidi was recognized by the James Beard Foundation for Outstanding Contribution To The Hospitality Industry in the United States and continues to devote his time to incubating the future of food and hospitality in the US and beyond.

Alissa Wilmina – Diaz

Sommelier and Director of People & Culture

Sommelier Alissa Wilmina was raised in Northern Virginia, growing up in restaurants and blessed with extensive travel at a young age sparked her love affair with wine and food.

Studying Sommelier at Johnson & Wales University lead her to intern for an Austrian winery, studying abroad in Florence, Italy with a focus on Tuscan wine and obtain a variety of beverage positions. Gaining her NYC experience under Happy Cooking Hospitality, Alissa Wilmina continues to be a leader in the food and beverage scene.

Alissa focuses on small producers, bio-dynamic products, and highlights both female wine growers & producers at ever opportunity. She hopes to follow her passion and believes in creating harmonious dining experiences that inspire thought and conversation. She provides a voice to both the unsung hero’s in the wine world and the up-coming producers who demand our support and attention.

Aryan Seyedin

Narrative Artist and Director of Media & Photography

Aryan Seyedin could be best captured by the Murukami quote that says: ‘ I don’t think it’s an unnatural thing at all for my collaborations or projects to be seen as art but entertainment at the same time. If I have a certain opinion, I try to incorporate that into my work.” The bi-product of Aryan’s self-journey for perspective, self-discovery and an objective view on the world and its matters have recently culminated in Moosh’s most recent case studies through Latin America, and the push to align Moosh and its supporting constituents through work that is deeply rooted in the heritage and anthropological information made available to us when we choose to touch the world of discovery from a place of philosophy and selflessness. Aryan by nature is a writer, he finds himself behind the camera, documenting and exploring, in post-production, creating renderings, art, graphics and animations to further develop the layers of stories and experience we share through collaborative work together with Moosh.

Based in both a background of art and business, Aryan strives to create tangible gesture meant to align people around social good and philanthropy that innately has the ability to benefit people not just socially or financially, but personally, with a deep onerous on creating art and gestures that are original and based in integrity and thorough work. Through Moosh we hope to showcase the work and efforts of Aryan in our relaunching of Moosh NYC as Moosh Labs in early 2023, highlighting his photography, writing, graphic art, animations, and other artistic contributions which have helped us piece together a defining narrative for our work and our community and in time the kind of organization we hope to become.