Mustapha Rouissiya opened Figs in 2001 with a vision and passion — a vision for sharing the unique ingredients and flavors from his homeland Morocco and a passion for providing customers with the intimate and friendly dining experience of a neighborhood BYO. Mustapha’s impressive career began in his Moroccan homeland where, as a young boy, he learned his most important culinary lessons by cooking side-by-side his grandmother and mother. His professional culinary training and expertise was gained through his years as Executive Sous Chef at Boston’s famous Legal Seafood, Executive Sous Chef for Philadelphia’s nationally-recognized Striped Bass, Corporate Executive Chef for the C.A. Muer Corporation and its Big Fish restaurant, Chef at Twenty Manning and Partner and Executive Chef for Rococo. He has cooked twice for the James Beard Foundation in New York, which declared him a "Top Chef" in the United States. Mustapha has also worked with the TV Food Network, graced the cover of Philadelphia Magazine and has been published in Food Arts magazine. He puts his talents to use for a good cause through charitable work with SOS, Cooking for a Cure, Philabundance and Manna.