Chef Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes incorporate ingredients from
all over the world, and his best-selling cookbooks have won James Beard Awards
and helped popularize Middle Eastern cuisine.
A Brief Introduction to Yotam Ottolenghi
James Beard Award recipient Yotam Ottolenghi is a
bestselling food writer, international chef, and culinary television
personality. Yotam was born in Jerusalem and is of Italian and German Jewish
descent. He graduated from Tel Aviv University and then moved to London to
study French pastry cooking at Le Cordon Bleu. Yotam later worked in a number
of London restaurants.
Yotam and Sami Tamimi, along with cofounder Noam Bar, opened
the Ottolenghi deli in Notting Hill in 2002. The deli's unique spice
combinations and Middle Eastern influence earned it a cult following, and it
spawned more eateries across London.
5 Quick Facts About Yotam Ottolenghi
Yotam's cosmopolitan lifestyle allows him to create
one-of-a-kind recipes. Continue reading for five quick facts about the
celebrated chef:
1. He refers to his food as "sunny food." Yotam,
who cooks with a lot of vegetables, associates his cooking with brightness.
"My food is bright food." "I find my food wherever the sun
shines," he explains. "It's food with bold flavors, vibrant colors,
and generous gestures."
2. He was a writer before becoming a cookbook author.
Ottolenghi studied Comparative Literature in college and worked as a night copy
editor for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Yotam began writing a weekly column
for The Guardian called "The New Vegetarian" in 2006. Ottolenghi: The
Cookbook, Plenty, Jerusalem, Plenty More, NOPI, Sweet: Desserts from London's
Ottolenghi, Ottolenghi Simple, Ottolenghi Flavour, and Ottolenghi Test Kitchen:
Shelf Love are among his nine cookbooks. On his books, he worked with Sami
Tamimi, Ramael Scully, Helen Goh, Ixta Belfrage, and Noor Murad.
3. He considers himself a proud gay father. Ottolenghi wrote
an essay for The Guardian in 2013 about his experience conceiving his son Max
through gestational surrogacy.
4. He recognizes that cooking can be a mysterious form of magic. Yotam's cooking is a flavor fusion. "There's some alchemy going on." It must contain some spice. "It has to have spices and herbs and interesting things going on while you eat it," Yotam says. "I guess the Ottolenghi phenomenon has something to do with the extension of color, flavor, and beauty all coming together in one plate or one meal."
5. He desires drama in his cooking and eating. Food should be vibrant, sensory, and dynamic. "You need a little drama in your mouth," he says. "I want something within a meal, even if it's the most comforting thing in the world, porridge." So even if I sprayed some dried fruit on it, I don't want it in every bite. I'd like to have a piece of fruit every now and then to remind me that, hold on, there's something in my porridge. It's fantastic. So those are the kinds of experiences I'm looking for. Even in a comforting moment, there's a little drama in the mouth."
