Sami Tamimi on Boustany, in conversation with Andy Baraghani
Join us at Brooklyn Heights Library as Sami Tamimi discusses his new cookbook Boustany with Andy Baraghani.
The first solo cookbook from Ottolenghi co-founder Sami Tamimi, Boustany is a homage to Palestinian food and culture. "Boustany" translates from Arabic as "my garden," which reflects Sami's signature style and approach to food: colourful and simple vegetable- and grain-led dishes. Bold, inspiring and ever-evolving, Boustany picks up where Falastin left off, with flavour-packed vegetable-based dishes, including pantry items, midweek easy meals and special to-be-shared dishes. It’s an approach that’s strongly present in Palestinian cuisine, from building your mooneh, or pantry, by preserving seasonal vegetables and herbs to lining the dinner table with a variety of salads and condiments reflective of a love for fresh and vibrant food.
Boustany is filled with vibrant and lively photographs of everyday meals that invite you into Sami's home. With recipes for breads, dinner parties, fermenting your own vegetables, and more, Sami shares the cultural fabric of Palestine through his eyes.
Registration is required. Books will be available for purchase from Books Are Magic.
Sami Tamimi was born and raised in Jerusalem and immersed in food since childhood. He started his career at 17 as commis-chef in a Jerusalem hotel and gained expertise by working his way up, through a variety of restaurants, mastering diverse culinary traditions along the way, to become head chef of Lilith, one of the top restaurants in Tel Aviv in the 1990s. In 2002, he partnered with Noam Bar and Yotam Ottolenghi to set up Ottolenghi in Notting Hill. The company now has seven delis and two restaurants, NOPI and ROVI, all in London. As the executive head chef, Sami was involved in developing and nurturing young kitchen talents and creating new dishes and innovative menus. Sami and Yotam have written two critically acclaimed cookbooks, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and Jerusalem: A Cookbook. Sami’s third cookbook Falastin is co-authored with Tara Wigley and is a winner of the Fortnum & Mason Cookery Book of the Year, a James Beard Award nominee, an IACP Award winner and longlisted for The Art of Eating Prize. Nowadays, Sami divides his time between London and Umbria in Italy.
Andy Baraghani is a New York Times bestselling and James Beard Award–winning chef and author. Born in the Bay Area and now deeply woven into the fabric of New York, Andy has become one of the most sought-after names in the food world. At the age of 16, he began working at the world-renowned restaurant Chez Panisse. He continued his culinary training at the prestigious L’Arpège in Paris and Estela in New York before moving into food media. His recipes and writing center on the intersection of food and identity. He is currently a contributor to the New York Times and is working on his next book.
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