Michelin-starred chef Greg Malouf was in his element while discussing his culinary journey and his latest bestselling cookbook at the inaugural ‘Cooks & Books’ session held at Al Rawi Café as part of the ongoing year-long Sharjah World Book Capital (SWBC) 2019 celebrations.

The Cooks & Books initiative celebrates local and international chefs and their cookbooks. It aims to promote reading by giving food enthusiasts the opportunity to look at cookbooks through the eyes of their authors.

Malouf began by narrating why and how he became a chef whose forte is traditional Middle Eastern cuisine with a twist. The author of seven bestselling cookbooks, written in association with his former wife Lucy, Malouf talked about starting his own restaurant and later his consultancy in the UAE.

“I guess it was pre-determined that I would become a chef,” he said. “I was born in Melbourne in a typical Lebanese household where there was a lot of food and discussions centered around the kitchen table. However, I was not allowed into the kitchen and had to sneak in to raid the fridge!”

By the age of 12, Malouf had decided he wanted to be a chef against stiff opposition from his parents who did not see a future in it. “I quit school, ran away from home to go to Sydney, where I apprenticed at a Mexican kitchen to learn the ropes.”

When he returned, ready to cook up a storm, Malouf realised that the kind of restaurants he was looking for didn’t exist. That set him off on a journey around the world, beginning with Paris, to learn and eventually create his own version of a new culinary experience.

New Feast: Modern Middle Eastern Vegetarian, his latest bestseller, was a new direction for Malouf. “Arabic food tends to revolve around meats and fish. I wanted to show how you could cook amazing dishes using vegetables. Eggplant is my favourite vegetable; I plan to write a book on 1,001 ways to use it in dishes.”

Revealing what goes into the creation of a recipe, Malouf said: “A lot of dreams. I am a big dreamer, while Lucy is the academic. She gets into my head, interprets my dreams, and writes down the recipe beautifully! All my dishes are based on memories of my childhood, my travels, or of certain vegetables and other ingredients.”

Malouf credited the success of his books to the intensive research he and Lucy undertake before compiling their recipes. He also advised aspiring chefs to exercise restraint, and more importantly, follow their heart while experimenting with dishes. “Don’t overload the dishes with ingredients, colours, and so on just to make the plate look glamourous,” he said.

“Food is not merely for Instagram. People must be able to eat it and enjoy it.”

Auction for Australian bushfire victims

An auction to raise funds for Australian bushfire victims, to be donated through Emirates Red Crescent to the Australian Red Cross, concluded the event. Fathi Afaneh, CEO of FAST Construction, won the bid for an exclusive dinner for six persons cooked by Malouf, hosted at either Malouf’s or the winner’s residence. His offer of AED 10,100 topped the lively bidding session that began at AED 1,000. The winner will also receive the original manuscript of Malouf’s next book scheduled to be published shortly.

Following the session, Malouf signed copies of his books for guests and continued discussions about Middle Eastern cuisine with his readers. Attendees also had access to the freshest produce at The Ripe Market pop-up that was put up to complement the event.