BOUSTANY: Celebrate Palestinian Cuisine with Sami Tamimi & Michael Rafidi

Join Bold Fork Books to celebrate the release of BOUSTANY: A Celebration of Vegetables from my Palestine by author Sami Tamimi, in a can't-miss conversation at All Souls Episcopal Church with James Beard Award-Winning DC Chef Michael Rafidi.

Due to demand and capacity, we will NOT be processing refunds for this event.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: SAMI TAMIMI

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.

ABOUT THE COOKBOOK: BOUSTANY

Celebrate the diverse cuisine of Palestine with more than 100 plant-based and vegetarian recipes for festive meals, breads, desserts, and more, from the award-winning co-author of Jerusalem, Falastin and co-founder of Ottolenghi.

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.

This is how Sami grew up eating – platters of eggplant and chickpeas with a spicy green lemon sauce and fragrant lentil fatteh that always tasted better the next day. 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.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR: MICHAEL RAFIDI

Michael Rafidi is the chef and owner of Michelin-starred Albi, located in Washington, D.C’s Navy Yard neighborhood. The menus reflect a creative update to traditional Palestinian cuisine, with modern techniques utilizing the best the Mid-Atlantic has to offer. Inspired by his family's roots in Ramallah, Palestine and grandparents' home cooking, Rafidi spent many years in some of the country's best kitchens before he opened Albi in early 2020.