Raised in Morocco, Samad Hachby attended schools in Italy on scholarship before he came to the United States to earn a political science degree from N.C. State. Italian is just one of the five languages he speaks, a trait he honed while establishing his culinary career working on a cruise ship in southern Europe for five years.
In 2009, Hachby opened Babylon Restaurant, a Moroccan dining concept, at 309 N. Dawson Street, which served as one of Downtown Raleigh’s most vibrant evening and weekend destinations—homed in a historic renovated knitting mill—until the restaurant was re-imagined to the Italian eatery it is today: Mulino Italian Kitchen & Bar. Samad had always wanted to do this style of food because of his experiences in Italy. In the years leading up to 2009, he did non-stop research, basically eating his way through the Mediterranean. Samad fell in love with Osteria del Mulino in Assisi, a neighborhood restaurant in the Umbria region. To make sure he got the menu and technique right, he ate at the restaurant several timesand invited the chef, Ilaria Menzolini, to North Carolina to guide him as he developed his menu of homemade pastas, wood-fired oven pizza, and entrees.
Fast forward to 2014, when Hachby aimed his creative pursuits even higher at Dawson Street—quite literally—and renovated the historic building’s third-story space to accommodate the larger weddings, special events, and parties that his restaurant was being sought after to host. Today, the Historic Melrose Knitting Mill sits perched high atop the preserved collection of spaces, welcoming guests to a true destination within the heart of the city. Samad’s love of historic preservation did not in there. He was also part of the team that helped restore The Historic Wakefield Barn in 2017.
In 2015, Samad set out to find a way to introduce more of Raleigh and the surrounding area to delicious food and wine. He teamed up with the founder of Raleighwood Media Group and Raleighwood Event Group, Lisa Jeffries Nobling, to host the inaugural Raleigh Food and Wine Festival in June of 2015. The innovative four-day event, that spanned locations all over the city—from grocery stores to restaurants to distilleries—showcased the evolving culinary traditions of Raleigh and featured beer dinners, cooking classes, tasting events, and more. Following a three-year run, the event series was placed on hiatus during the COVID-19 era, but the duo looks forward to relaunching the event series in years to come.
Samad is known for being passionate about food but he is also committed about helping others. Another yearly event he hosts is the Mulino Turkey Ball. Each November, the annual Turkey Ball invites guests to purchase $45 event tickets with all proceeds going to providing a Thanksgiving turkey to a local family in need. The ticket purchase gets patrons into the kick-off event of the holidays that features passed hors d’oeuvres and a drink ticket and serves a charitable start to the season of giving.
Up next for Samad is a terrace dining concept that will be coming to The Dillion in Raleigh’s booming Warehouse District in 2024. La Terrazza, which, fittingly, translates to “the terrace,” will focus on southern Italian and Mediterranean offerings, accompanied by a beautiful skyline view of the city. The dining room which boasts floor-to-ceiling glass walls will seat over 100 people and double as event space for weddings. It will also play hosts to two bars, one inside and another in an enclosure on the patio.
When not welcoming guests at his many concepts which have gained international recognition, Hachby frequently travels through Europe to experience a variety of tastes, culinary inspiration, and architecture, influences of which he often brings back to the always-evolving menus offered at his hospitality venues.