Chef Chat: We Pick The Brains Of Ottolenghi And Tamimi
Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi own four wildly popular London restaurants and have authored runaway best-selling cookbooks for omnivores and vegetarians alike.
The two hail from the West and East sides of Jerusalem, respectively, and first crossed paths in London in the 1990s. In 2002 they opened Ottolenghi, a small deli that Tamimi says resembles a flower shop, bursting with the color of freshly made salads and desserts, rooted in and inspired by their native Middle East.
And unlike many other international chefs who have found fame in America — where their book Jerusalem was a surprise best-seller — Ottolenghi and Tamimi made it here without having appeared on a TV cooking show or otherwise succumbing to the personality-driven culture of today's celebrity chefs.
Instead, their success grew out of recipes that look like you or I could make them in our own kitchens. That's attracted a devoted fan base of both home cooks and professional chefs — some of whom have told us here at The Salt that they cook out of the duo's books in their own restaurants.
We here at NPR have been following these two chefs for some time, so when Ottolenghi and Tamimi passed through Washington, D.C., in October, we invited them to stop by for breakfast and a chat.
Here are some of the highlights from our conversation.
On their success in the U.S.:
The Salt
Jerusalem: A Love Letter To Food And Memories Of Home