Originally from Iran, Chef Anousheh learned cooking from his mother, an admired home cook in their city of Maragheh, Azerbaijan (Iran), and continued learning about food while working in restaurants, including Café des Artistes in NYC. He also studied Philosophy at the New School for Social Research. He is passionate about creating Persian dishes using locally sourced fresh ingredients, adapted to the preferences of many tastes, including meat and fish eaters, vegetarians, vegans, and fans of organic food. His mission is to share the fine Persian flavors to offer new and unusual tastes. An adventurous eater, he is experience in preparing cuisine from many different traditions.
Chef Anousheh enjoys helping hosts create memorable dinner parties and cocktail receptions, and producing fragrant foods with a beautiful presentation. He enjoys teaching Persian, Mediterranean, and Vegetarian cooking to home cooks so that they may regularly enjoy this food. He is working on a book of recipes and photographs of his adaptations of Persian foods.
About the Food
I believe in using authentic Persian spices and organic ingredients whenever possible and selecting the freshest vegetables, fruits, nuts, and spices to create characteristic Persian flavors. But I am also interested in blending traditions to accommodate vegetarian and health-conscious eaters.
My favorite accompaniments, herbs, and spices are saffron, barberries or, as they are called in Persian, zereshk; dried lemon and lime, whey (dried or fresh), rose petals, rosewater, sour cherries, pomegranate, sour grapes, basil, cilantro, dill, fenugreek, garlic, chives, mint, green onions, parsley, shallots, and tarragon.
