Ahmass Fakahany

Ahmass Fakahany (Questrom’79) and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Boston University,  founded the highly acclaimed restaurant hospitality firm, Altamarea Group in 2007 after retiring from Merrill Lynch where he was President and Chief Operating Officer. Ahmass Fakahany leverages his business acumen and global leadership experience to set the strategy and drive the highest level of quality, consistency, and performance on every level throughout the Altamarea Group. In 2017, Altamarea Group was named one of the fastest-growing companies in America by Inc. Magazine. The group now operates 20 restaurants worldwide, including signature restaurant Marea in New York City which has garnered a myriad of awards and culinary honors since its inception from organizations including the James Beard Foundation, Michelin, and Wine Spectator.

In 2019, Marea Dubai opened at the DIFC and was one of the restaurants included in Michelin’s first guide for Dubai. The company also runs award-winning concepts in Washington DC, Miami, New York, and New Jersey. Altamarea operates the Ristorante Morini brand in Istanbul and Riyadh. Internationally, Altamarea also developed Mohalla, an elevated regional Indian Street food brand, and recently Michelin-starred 11 Woodfire in Dubai.

In 2022, the group opened restaurant 53, a new Contemporary Asian restaurant in midtown New York, adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art. 53 offers a unique dining experience, pairing inspired, pan-Asian cuisine with unique design and a rotating art selection through a curatorial partnership with the globally renowned, Petzel Gallery.