An Evening with Yotam Ottolenghi

Overview

If you're a vegetarian, keen home cook or worshipper of eggplant, chances are Yotam Ottolenghi has had some impact on your life. Now, it's time to meet him in the flesh. On January 29, the cult Israeli chef will appear at the Sydney Opera House for a long chat about food.

Happening as part of the Opera House's Talks and Ideas programme, the date marks the release of Ottolenghi's latest book Simple filled with 130 easy-to-make yet super-tasty dishes.

But, he'll be talking about much more than that. Firstly, there are all his other books, like the Middle Eastern-inspired Jerusalem, the vegetarian-friendly Plenty and the dessert bible Sweet, a collaboration with Melbourne pastry chef Helen Goh. Then, there are his documentaries and his regular writing gigs: a weekly column in Feast magazine and a monthly column in The New York Times.

Before becoming a world-famous chef, Ottolenghi worked as a journo in Amsterdam. On deciding to delve into food, he trained at the Cordon Bleu, as well as a bunch of Michelin-starred restaurants in London, before taking on the role of Head Pastry Chef at Baker and Spice, where he befriended Palestinian chef Sami Tamimi. The two teamed up to found the Ottolenghi deli in Notting Hill — the first of many, many projects.

An Evening with Yotam Ottolenghi pre-sale tickets are available from 9am on Wednesday, December 19, with general tickets on sale from 9am Friday, December 21.

Image: Prudence Upton