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74 Dianne Cash A s it turns out, opening a restaurant is a bit more challenging than expected — particularly for two early-20-somethings still in college. Brandon Cohanim and Francois Reihani, who first met as Beverly Hills High School students, moved to Dallas to attend Southern Methodist University. Cohanim studies advertising; Reihani, business. After reconnecting, the friends realized their entrepreneurial mindsets and epicurean interests were perfectly suited to start a company. Their cuisine of choice: poke, a type of raw-fish salad that was trending in New York and L.A. but had yet to achieve a presence in Dallas. "We knew West Village was the perfect spot for us, but they wanted a more detailed business plan," Reihani says. "They even said, 'I don't really know what you're doing here; we have eight other offers.'" Six of those offers were also poke concepts, but the duo, which then drafted a 25-page business plan, had a selling point: Jimmy Park, former sushi chef at Nobu in Dallas, who joined their team as executive chef. They met him as frequent Nobu patrons. "He stayed after close to hang out with us and was amazingly interactive with his customers," Reihani adds. "Jimmy is one of the most passionate chefs, and he now gets to show that in our restaurant." Pok The Raw Bar opened earlier this year, adjacent to Taco Diner in West Village. The vibe is very L.A. ("You won't walk into any other restaurant in Dallas and hear Kanye West playing loud," Cohanim says), and the menu is 100 percent gluten-free, offering sashimi and signature poke bowls such as spicy ponzu tuna and spicy yuzu salmon, with the option to BYOB (build your own bowl) with a base of bamboo or cauliflower rice, citrus kale, or kelp zucchini slaw. There are plenty of extras to pile on: avocado, hearts of palm, chili-marinated oranges, cured shitake mushrooms, et al. Salmon is flown in daily from Scotland, tuna comes from the Pacific Ocean, and BRANDON COHANIM AND FRANCOIS REIHANI Gen NEXT POKE MEN BY LINDEN WILSON. PORTRAITS STEVE WRUBEL . AGE: BRANDON, 20; FRANCOIS, 21. OCCUPATION: CO-FOUNDERS, POK THE RAW BAR. TOOLS OF THE TRADE: BUSINESS ACUMEN. SHARP THREADS. INDIVIDUALITY. Brandon Cohanim, Francois Reihani