Sabrina Ghayour

Sabrina Ghayour (born in Tehran, Iran on 5 January 1976) is a British-Iranian Chef, food writer and author.^[1] She is the host of the supper club ‘Sabrina’s Kitchen’ and released her first cookbook, Persiana, in May 2014.^[2]

Career

Ghayour’s love affair with cookery began at the age of six, after receiving her first cookbook. From this age, she created dishes in her home kitchen until a passion for Persian cookery took hold during her teens. A self-taught cook, she began experimenting with flavours from Turkish, Arab, Armenian and Afghani cuisines. This collection of recipes led to the launch of her highly successful ‘Sabrina’s Kitchen’, a supper club hosted from Ghayour’s London home.

After the announcement of Thomas Keller’s ‘French Laundry’ pop-up, where tickets were priced at £250 per person, Ghayour joked and Tweeted that she could start her own pop-up called ‘The French Laundrette’ charging £2.50 per person.^[3] The response was overwhelming, with over 30 people requesting tickets that evening.^[3] Ghayour said "I served 80 people, raising about £4,000 for Action Against Hunger. The phone rang constantly; we even had calls from Thomas Keller's team, begging for seats."^[3]

Leading the trend in Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine, her past collaborations include hosting her own ‘Passage to Persia’ pop-up with Anna Hansen at the Modern Pantry with guest chefs Ben Spalding, Omar Allibhoy, Alexis Gauthier and Tim Anderson all cooking Persian food. Ghayour has also been regular guest Chef at Oliver Peyton’s ‘Friday Night Social’ pop-ups at The National Gallery and more recently Middle Eastern Feast collaboration with Bruno Loubet at his second restaurant Grain Store.

Ghayour makes regular appearances doing cookery demonstrations at the BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham and Taste of London. In August 2013, Ghayour was given a prime slot at Jamie Oliver’s The Big Feastival, doing cookery demonstrations on the main stage and teaching at the Electrolux Chefs Theatre.

A seasoned cookery teacher, she regularly teaches Persian, Moroccan, Lebanese and Arabesque cookery classes at Divertimenti cookery school ^[4] as well as teaching and catering for both corporate and private clients. Sabrina specialises in cooking up colourful, moreish dishes with Eastern flavours in an abundant ‘Mezze’ style with unique recipes and techniques.

Persiana

Persiana is Ghayour’s debut cookbook, and was released on 6 May 2014. Persiana is a celebration of the food and flavours from the regions around the Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.^[5] Although some recipes in the book are authentic, some draw inspiration from the Middle East and combine the wonderful flavours and ingredients of the region with everyday produce that’s available in supermarkets everywhere.

Her book has received great acclaim from the likes of Bruno Loubet, Gizzi Erskine and Raymond Blanc.^[2]

Persiana spent nine weeks in the top 10 bestseller list and won the Observer Food Monthly's 2014 Best New Cookbook award in October.^[6]

References

1. ↑ "Sabrina Ghayour's official website". Retrieved 28 December 2014. 
2. 1 2 "Persiana By Sabrina Ghayour". Retrieved 28 December 2014. 
3. 1 2 3 Shaitley, Shahesta (12 April 2014). "Sabrina Ghayour: the golden girl of Persian cookery". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2014. 
4. ↑ Cookery Classes - http://www.sabrinaghayour.com/classes/
5. ↑ Lloyd, Kate (13 November 2014). "Let's Eat Persian! Recipes From Foodie Of The Moment Sabrina Ghayour". Grazia. Retrieved 28 December 2014. 
6. ↑ Fox, Killian (19 October 2014). "OFM awards 2014 best new cookbook: Persiana by Sabrina Ghayour". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 December 2014.