Arezou Soleimani: Serving Every Single Item with Care

Acity has many hearts, places where life flows in and, rejuvenated, goes back out to breathe energy throughout the rest of the community. These places cultivate an atmosphere that brings people in and brings people back.

Arezou Soleimani is the force behind one of our region’s strongest heartbeats, a sisterhood of restaurants that help define our culinary scene. “I’m grateful to be a part of a tight-knit ownership group where our expertise has been cultivated to expand into every corner of the operations,” Arezou said. As one of the masterminds behind beloved restaurants such as Market Tavern, La Mesa and Prime Table, she’s known for greeting guests with a quick smile and old-timers with a loving heckle. But most of all, she is known for the values that stand as the backbone of the restaurants she pours herself into, choosing people over profit and always putting local and organic sourcing above all else.

Beginnings
Arezou inherited an indomitable work ethic from both her parents. Her father, Mansoor, worked in sociology and her mother, Parvin, held double doctorates in child psychology and sociology. Parvin also founded Hopeland Preschool with her husband and ran it for over 40 years before retiring. “My dad gave me really good advice,” Arezou said, “Such as, ‘Don’t expect people to do anything you’re not willing to do yourself.’” And her signature look that can freeze rowdy patrons in their place? “My mother says I got it from her,” she said with a laugh, thinking back to her mother’s decades of running the preschool. Her parents’ example of resiliency and ingenuity set a standard of excellence for Arezou that helped shape everything she did, whether in academics, extra-curriculars or the jobs she worked along the way.

Those who know Arezou also know that she wears her heart on her sleeve. Although she may be unafraid of speaking out against injustice and unwavering in her convictions, her selfless work with the animal protection league and hospice is also a glimpse into the depth of her love for her local community and its most vulnerable populations. Even as a youth, she strove to be the best version of herself, from being a walk-on freshman varsity player in soccer, basketball and softball to carving out her own career path in the restaurant industry.

A graduate of the University of San Francisco, Arezou initially contemplated pursuing law, following her passion for making the world a better place and being a voice for those who struggle to be heard. She moved back to her hometown of Stockton and began to work as a paralegal while also bartending at Mallard’s, an eatery that was itself a long-time landmark of the local community before its closure in the late 2000s. Her experiences behind its bar helped her become rooted in Stockton’s heartbeat, connecting her closely with the people she met and served on a daily basis. “That’s what I love about Stockton; it’s the salt of the earth,” Arezou said.

Charting Her Course
Arezou’s connections encouraged her to expand into the restaurant industry, and she began to look at bartending as more than a side job, instead seeing it as a career that allowed her to connect with and care for her local community in ways that law never could. She accepted an opportunity with Andy Pappas to collaborate and open Papapavlo’s, a Greek restaurant that soon became an integral part of Stockton’s culinary culture.

Arezou continued to learn and grow in her field, but she had a specific dream she wanted to pursue. “I always wanted to do organics,” she said. In 2011, her chance opened up after a few conversations with Phil Wong and the encouragement of their late friend Jodie Lennon, whom she met through her work at Papapavlo’s. Together, she and Phil Wong began the process of opening their first restaurant in their now impressive repertoire, Market Tavern. “We hit the ground running; we had no idea what we were doing,” Arezou laughed. Though the timeline took longer than they initially expected, they were incredibly proud of the result when their doors opened for the first time. “Phil never cuts corners,” she said, speaking of the care and intentionality that went into every detail of the restaurant, from their choice of location in Lincoln Center to their designer, Michael Brennan from the San Francisco area. And now, over a decade after they first opened the doors, they’re often as busy on Tuesday evenings as they are on weekends. It’s a clear sign of their success, given that “There isn’t a block in Stockton you can go into that there isn’t at least one decent, if not great, restaurant,” she said.

The First But Not Last
Market Tavern’s ambiance is one that is simultaneously laid back and upscale. The rich, dark wood tones are tempered by its sleek industrial lighting, and its tables and booths are secluded enough to enjoy conversation without feeling isolated from the lively thrum of the restaurant itself. The bar boasts an impressive array of craft cocktails, including multiple spins on the classic Old-Fashioned to specialty drinks that showcase seasonal flavors. The outdoor patio beckons passersby to stop in and, if not stay for a sit-down meal, at least check out their grab-n-go service market that has ready-made meals available, along with freshly baked bread or a perfectly paired bottle of wine.

Market Tavern’s menu itself changes seasonally but always takes a fresh spin on traditional American fare. It’s common to see comfort foods such as chicken pot pie and wood-fired pizza alongside dishes such as furikake fries, Thai style Brussels sprouts with ginger, lime and fish sauce, and crispy duck leg confit. It’s a celebration of the things that make California so unique, an abundance of fresh produce mingled with the abundance of beautiful cultures. And culture is part of what remains so important to Arezou in her career. “I built my career from the ground up in hospitality, so my stake in these restaurants is as personal as it is professional,” Arezou said. “We are not just trying to shape menus; we’re trying to shape a culture.”

Expansion
The culture she has helped shape quickly became a part of Stockton and has now expanded beyond just the local community. Market Tavern has opened two other locations in Lodi and Dublin, both thriving as much as the original location. After their success with Market Tavern, the ownership group branched out into two sister restaurants as well, Prime Table, an upscale steak house with a swanky vibe reminiscent of Hollywood’s Golden Age, and La Mesa, a Mexican eatery that brims with bright colors and brighter flavors. Every restaurant with Arezou’s involvement is built on the same conviction she holds so dearly, prioritizing organic and local ingredients in every dish on the menu. “We don’t compromise what we do. Only local stuff,” she said emphatically. As she spoke about her career, she continued to bring the focus back to her team and her staff, describing how every venture is a result of many people collaborating their best efforts to create the best version of the restaurants, from the food to the ambiance. “It’s so beautiful to be in a space where the team’s shared passion drives every decision,” Arezou said. “It’s really important for us. Integrity, for me, is the reason I get up every morning.”

The Long View
She is open about her business strategy and the way she describes it is refreshingly blunt and straightforward: “You could rack up whatever money you want with high-priced items, or you could serve every single item with care, not make as much on the bottom line and create a repeat customer,” she said. Her first priority isn’t making the largest profit, but rather the ability to stand behind each ingredient and dish that the restaurant serves. Every item is made in house, from their breads to their desserts. Arezou pushes for excellence in every aspect, from the menu to staff’s training. “Take the long cut,” she always tells her staff. “It’s not worth the short cut.”

Exciting things are in the future for this sisterhood of restaurants. Although Prime Table has been closed since late 2025 for an extensive remodel and expansion, it is slated to reopen by the end of 2026. Many are looking forward to that day, missing its luxurious feel and the way it brought back the concept of eating out as an experience that deserved dressing up in our Sunday best. “Prime Table is my pride and joy,” Arezou said fondly. “A 1920s steakhouse, beautiful, classic, a place to relax for the grownups.”

Brioche and More
When Prime Table’s doors open once again, it will have a new companion, a beautiful Parisian bakery, Brioche. Arezou’s excitement about it is palpable. “Bubbles and beautiful coffee drinks and really beautiful pastries,” she described as she painted the ambiance of their newest venture. She has hopes for La Mesa too, including a larger bar expansion. But when asked about what sets this restaurant sisterhood apart, Arezou has one answer: “People always ask me, ‘What makes the restaurants special?’ It’s the humans,” she said. “We go shoulder to shoulder with our guests.”

Arezou continually voices her love for the community that has supported her and their restaurants since day one, emphasizing how much they appreciate every person who walks through their doors. Their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic especially fortified her love of her local community as she saw how people came together to support local businesses in any way they could. She described how customers would consistently order meals to go from them to demonstrate their support from a distance, and how they would line up to sit outside in rain or heat and even help put away the tables at the end of the day. “The entire community stormed our doors,” Arezou said. Her gratitude toward the people who have supported the sisterhood of restaurants cannot be overstated, from the strong core of the ownership group to her chefs and staff to the customers who continue to show up and patronize them. “I just want to be that place where, if people have a choice, they choose to come in here with us,” she said.

Time and time again, Market Tavern and its sisterhood of restaurants has proven itself to be one of Stockton’s strongest heartbeats, and Arezou’s own heart is irrevocably entangled with it. And it is hearts like Arezou’s, ones driven by strength and gratitude and love, that create these places that set our community apart and keep its life force standing strong in spite of whatever hardships may come.