-- Shares Facebook Twitter Reddit Email Leila Heller, the president of contemporary art galleries in New York and Dubai , happens to also be the author of one of the most beautiful cookbooks released this year. Titled "Persian Feasts" — and rest assured that the jubilant, convivial recipes inside do indeed live up to that name — the cookbook embraces Persian food and culture in an unabashed manner, tracing the Heller's mother's journey to the US in 1979 as the through-line for Heller's memories. Full of colorful, fragrant dishes highlighting the stunning breadth of Persian cuisine, Heller bridges the gap between food, art, culture and history in a way that is both inspiring and totally novel.
Related Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan on food waste, sustainability and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict Salon Food recently had the opportunity to speak with Heller to discuss Persian history, her co-authors, the link between art and cooking, her favorite Persian dishes and so much more. The following interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length. Persian Feasts: Recipes & Stories from a Family Table (Courtesy of Phaidon) What is your favorite cooking memory? One of my most cherished memories is cooking alongside my mother when I was just five years old.
She had bought me my own set of miniature cooking utensils and pots and I would mimic her every move in the kitchen. This memory is deeply embedded in my mind. Later, as a freshman at Brown University, when the Internation.