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Fadi Kattan

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Fadi Kattan
Born
Bethlehem, Palestine
Culinary career
Current restaurant(s)
    • Fawda
    • Akub
Websitewww.fadikattan.com

Fadi Kattan (born 1977 or 1978) is a Palestinian chef, hotelier, and cookbook author.

Early life

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Some of Kattan's family previously lived in Jaffa; their land, including 120 acres of orange groves, was confiscated as part of the 1948 Nakba, and they relocated to the West Bank.[1][2] Kattan's paternal grandparents visited Japan, India, and Sudan. His maternal grandfather was raised in France.[3] Kattan was born in Bethlehem, where he was raised in one of the city's "oldest Christian families", with records dating back to 1738.[4][3][5]

Kattan attended school in Jerusalem, and took a number of family vacations to France.[5] Because much of his extended family had lived in or traveled outside of the West Bank, Kattan was exposed to a broad range of foods throughout his childhood.[3] He learned to cook from his grandmother, Julia, and mother, Micheline.[3][5] completed a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Business Administration in Paris.[6] He then pursued a Master of Arts (MA) and studied Hotel Management at the Institut Vatel in Paris.[7]

Career

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Upon returning to Bethlehem in 2000, Kattan worked at the InterContinental Hotel before it shut down after the Second Intifada. He subsequently found work at his father's kitchen business.[1]

Kattan founded a restaurant, Fawda, in Bethlehem in 2016.[1] The restaurant featured a menu that was improvised daily based on local produce.[3] It closed during the COVID-19 pandemic,[8] with plans to reopen in late 2024.[9] Kattan has also led food tours of Bethlehem[10] and managed the Hosh Al-Syrian guesthouse.[11][12]

During the COVID-19 lockdown, Kattan started the YouTube series Teta's Kitchen, in which he sought recipes from various mothers and grandmothers around historic Palestine.[13][14] He hosted a radio segment and podcast titled Ramblings of a Chef for Radio Alhara.[15][3]

In December 2022,[16] Kattan opened a restaurant called Akub in the Notting Hill neighborhood of London.[1][17] The restaurant combines British produce with Palestinian flavors.[3] In 2023 with Elizabeth Kassis, he co-founded Kassa Boutique Hotel within Bethlehem's historic Sabagh house.[18]

Kattan's debut cookbook Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food, comprising 60 recipes, was published on 16 May 2024 by Hardie Grant.[19] Nourie Flayhan provided the book's illustrations.[20] The book is split into four sections, each based on a season of the year, and is interwoven with stories of Kattan's family and Palestinian food artisans and farmers.[2]

Personal life

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Kattan is an atheist and secularist.[21] "I don't see the world based on people's faiths... That's my French bit of my identity", he said.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Miari, Anastasia (2024-03-05). "In His New Cookbook, Palestinian Chef Fadi Kattan Honors the Flavors of the West Bank". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  2. ^ a b c Lin-Sommer, Sam (2024-07-03). "This Palestinian chef loves Bethlehem's cuisine. He's afraid it could soon be destroyed". The Forward. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g La Corte, Michael (2024-07-21). "Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan on food waste, sustainability and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict". Salon. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  4. ^ Rizvi, Husna (2024-05-17). "Fadi Kattan Q&A: 'I try to reflect the beauty of our food'". Hyphen. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  5. ^ a b c Patalay, Ajesh (2024-04-26). "Fadi Kattan's paean to the food of Bethlehem". Financial Times. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  6. ^ Kleiman, Evan (31 May 2024). "Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan dreams of a world where he can share his food with everyone". KCRW. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  7. ^ Kattan, Karim (26 August 2020). "Cooking Palestinian Food: on indigenous herbs, craft, and community". The Funambulist. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  8. ^ Vered, Ronit (2021-11-12). "Palestinian Chef Fadi Kattan's Restaurant Closed Due to COVID. So He Became a Food Influencer". Haaretz.
  9. ^ Michaelson, Ruth; Kierszenbaum, Quique (2024-05-04). "'We are disappearing': chef Fadi Kattan aims to keep Palestinian heritage alive through food". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  10. ^ "Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan offers a tour of Bethlehem in his new cookbook". NPR. 2024-05-23.
  11. ^ Nikondeha, Kelley (23 December 2019). "A Modern Innkeeper in Bethlehem". Plough. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  12. ^ Almohor, Bassam. "Where: Hosh Al-Syrian". This Week in Palestine. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  13. ^ Saleh, Heba (25 September 2021). "Postcard from Bethlehem: culinary delights in the ancient city". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  14. ^ Leach, Frances (24 January 2023). "The pioneering chef bringing a taste of Palestine to London". Huck. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  15. ^ Chacar, Henriette (27 March 2020). "Live from quarantined Palestine, it's Radio Alhara". +972 Magazine. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  16. ^ McKernan, Bethan (2022-11-27). "'Hummus is banned in my kitchen': meet the chef bringing 'the essence of Palestine' to London". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  17. ^ Hart, Joel (2023-01-18). "How London's New Palestinian Restaurant Speaks Its Own Culinary Language". Eater London. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  18. ^ Davidson, Lisa (4 May 2023). "Kassa Hotel, Bethlehem". We Heart. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food by Fadi Kattan". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  20. ^ Druckman, Charlotte (13 May 2024). "'Bethlehem' Tells the Story of a People". Eater. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  21. ^ "A chat with Bethlehem's top chef – Fadi Kattan". Fiona Dunlop Food & Travel. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
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