Sturgeon general

ALI & MARAI BOLOURCHI, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar

WORK • Wednesday Routine

ALI & MARAI BOLOURCHI • president and VP • Tsar Nicoulai Caviar
Neighborhood/City you live in: Alamo

It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
It's almost Mother’s Day, which we consider to be the calm before one of the many waves we get throughout the year. After dropping the kids off at school, we arrive with coffee in hand, ready to tackle emails and calendars. At around 10 a.m., Ali gets a briefing on important orders that he’ll need to select caviar for. Marai checks in with our sales reps and other team members about sales, feedback, new accounts, potential collaborations, and product ideas. 

What’s on the agenda for today?
Marai’s working on marketing for our Mother's Day caviar bundle. Ali will be heading to the farm for an early farm tour with some Sacramento legislators, Sac Farm Bureau members, and business supporters, who will learn about our 84 sturgeon tanks, our sustainability and conservation efforts at the hatchery, and our state-of-the-art smokers. 

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Tomorrow, Marai is leading a caviar tasting at Domaine Carneros that will take place before their caviar dinner. We have a wonderful friendship and partnership with Domaine Carneros that spans two decades. This weekend, we’re celebrating Ali's birthday at SF’s Movida Lounge, which I’ve been wanting to try for a long time. The food is Persian-Mexican, which is a representation of our home. We always joke that if the caviar business didn’t work out, we would open a Persian-Mexican food truck. 

How about a little leisure or culture?
Everything we do revolves around food, and we love supporting local restaurants. Some of our favorites: Main Street (Walnut Creek), Piatti (Danville), Blue Line (Danville), Revel (Danville), and Isola Oseteria (Danville). We also enjoy gardening together. The kids have fun getting down and dirty, and love seeing the fruits of their labor throughout the summer. 

What was your last great vacation? 
We went to Hermosa Beach for spring break this year. We always stay at Beach House, which is steps from the beach. It’s also conveniently next to Good Stuff, which has the best Bloody Marys and zucchini fries in town. And when in Hermosa Beach, you must go to RYLA for coastal Cali fare with Japanese flavors.