Danny Hizami used to travel the country as a stand-up comedian in order to pursue his dream of becoming the next Ray Romano or Howie Mandel. While traveling the country to do shows Hizami also balanced his schedule with working part-time at his family’s restaurants.
However, in 2009 he made a life-changing decision. After the birth of his daughter, Mia, he decided that what was most important to him was being able to have a job that would allow him to be there for his daughter. That is when Hizami decided to start working full-time in his family’s restaurant business.
Hizami had an idea to open up a cheesesteak restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. Hizami’s family has been in the restaurant business for 40 years. Before they opened Figueroa Philly their locations consisted of KFC restaurants and a burger joint.
Hizami believed that a cheesesteak restaurant would stand out in an area that is dominated by national chain restaurants like Chic-Filet, Subway and Chipotle. He believed that there was a strong demand for something other than burritos, burgers, or sandwiches and that is when he went to his father with his idea.
Before Hizami opened up his cheesesteak restaurant he took some time to do research that would allow him to have a winning recipe. He travelled to Philadelphia for a couple of months to learn how to make a traditional cheesesteak the right way. He then figured out how to assemble the ingredients that would allow him to serve his Los Angeles customers a cheesesteak that tastes like it was made in Philadelphia.
One of the most important decisions Hizami made was a deal with Amoroso Rolls that would allow him to use their bread to give his sandwiches an authentic Philadelphia taste. He then concluded that he should use rib eye as his meat. Although Figueroa Philly stands out by making authentic Philly cheesesteak sandwiches Hizami also brought in ingredients that stray away from tradition.
While studying cheesesteaks in Philadelphia Hizami noted that cheese whiz was frequently used in the sandwiches. However, he decided to create cheesesteaks with jalapeño nacho cheese instead in order to give customers the cheese Hizami considers more popular in Los Angeles. The combination of his ingredients in addition to his family’s experience allowed Figueroa Philly to become a huge success.
Figueroa Philly is one of the most popular eating destinations near the Los Angeles Coliseum and has received both local and national acclaim. It was featured in a best eats column by “CBSLA”, was voted best cheesesteak in Los Angeles by “Consuming LA” and has been featured on the “Food Network” website. Hizami credits his employees for the success Figueroa Philly has been able to achieve.
Gigi Barahona has worked at Figueroa Philly for two years and says that Hizami makes the job feel like working with your family. She enjoys her job and is happy to be working somewhere where people care and support each other.
Today the Figueroa Philly staff is busier than ever since the Los Angeles Rams moved into the Los Angeles Coliseum. The restaurant is now packed on both Saturdays and Sundays during game days, which according to Hizami is both good and bad.
When asked if he thinks his two daughter will join the family business Hizami jokingly responded, “I sure hope not.” His youngest daughter is 16 weeks old and has yet to come to the restaurant, however his oldest daughter is 7 years old and helps out on Saturdays.