Lena Derisavifard, the baker-founder behind the Iranian-influenced pastry company BiBi Bakery, was clad in a denim jumpsuit, chunky green-framed sunglasses and Persian-rug-themed Vans. And the music sailing out of diners’ phones was not a bog-standard bar playlist but rather a mixture of traditional Iranian music and Persian pop.

Derisavifard’s parents were immigrants from Iran who “ended up across the world”, in Texas. Eating Persian meals together helped the family survive the absence of Iranian culture in the American south-west. “Food was the biggest way for our family to teach us about Iran,” said Derisavifard, 34. Her grandfather built an oven in the family garage, where her grandmother made bread. Growing up, Derisavifard baked with her mother, but ultimately decided to enter a more practical profession than being a chef.