Ep. 6: How to Build A Dream…. One Dish at a Time

So Much More, A Mall of America® Podcast

In this episode of So Much More, we have a wide-ranging conversation with Kam Talebi, the Founder and CEO of Kaskaid Hospitality and Carrie Charleston, VP of Leasing for Mall of America. Kaskaid owns and operates restaurants including CRAVE, UNION, Salsa A La Salsa, Avenida, Zio Italian, Burger Burger, BLVD Kitchen, Urban Eatery, Revival Public House, Muse Event Center, and many more. Carrie Charleston has a distinguished 20-year career in the leasing world and works closely with Kam on his locations at Mall of America.

But the conversation ventures way beyond food and the culinary scene. Kam shares his interesting foray into business which started in the IT field. Having successfully created a tech company, Kam transitioned into creating unique dining venues that offer great food and even better experiences.

Kam shares insights into how he first decided to create a CRAVE restaurant at Mall of America – he currently has three restaurants in the Mall along with a retail store – and how that deal was done with the owner of the Mall…on a napkin. He also touches on how the restaurant industry was impacted over the past few years and shares insights into how to attract and retain great employees.

Carrie shares some of her insights into the world of leasing and many of the challenges of the recent years. She also explains why restaurants are the fabric of our community. The discussion even ventures into new business ventures for Kam and his companies including launching a new beverage product. For those interested in learning how an entrepreneur takes a successful idea and continues to create more opportunities, this is the episode you won’t want to miss.

Guests: Kam Talebi, Founder + CEO of Kaskaid Hospitality and Carrie Charleston, VP of Leasing, Mall of America

Host: Jill Renslow