Komali Changes Hands
Upscale Dallas Mexican restaurant changes hands — but they’re good ones
Mexican restaurant Komali has new owners and a new menu to show for it.
Chef Abraham Salum, who opened the restaurant in 2011, has sold it to Emanuel Salinas and John Broady. The couple love Mexican food and always wanted to open their own restaurant. Now they don't have to. In a release, Broady calls the deal a match made in heaven.
"Even though we had been shopping locations for a brand we created on our own, once we met Abraham and the staff, we realized we were sitting on a treasure," Broady says.
Salinas, who was born in Mexico City and raised in Acapulco, felt an instant connection with Salum. "Walking into Komali for the first time was like walking into my own restaurant," he says.
Broady will cover business and marketing, while Salinas will oversee dining, operations, and a menu with executive chef Geovanny Arredondo. They'll keep some of the staple dishes, but they have added new coastal dishes from Salinas' hometown of Acapulco. They'll also highlight tastes from Mexico's 31 regions with a selection of rotating specials.
Arredondo has been at Komali for two years. He previously worked with Monica Greene, Tre Wilcox, Omar Flores, and DJ Quintanilla at Restro Gastro Bistro.
Salinas has managed restaurants in the San Francisco Castro district. Broady is a Dallas native and tech executive who worked at companies such as Yahoo and Adobe. In 2000, Broady lived in a small town in the state of Zacatecas for nearly a year where he mastered Spanish and came to love Mexican food, family, and culture.
Salum, who also owns his eponymous restaurant next door, says that having two restaurants was getting to be too much. He'll stay on in an advisory role to help with the transition. "I am very happy concentrating on Salum and growing my catering business," he says.
