Conversation with Yotam Ottolenghi

A book signing with Mr. Ottolenghi will follow the evening’s presentation. A number of his books will be available for purchase on-site from Harvard Book Store, Harvard Square’s independent bookstore.

Ottolenghi is best known to food lovers around the globe for his acclaimed cookbooks, including “Jerusalem” and “Plenty.” Since his debut cookbook, “Ottolenghi” in 2008, his books have sold over 1.5 million copies in North America and 5 million worldwide.

Ottolenghi’s cookbooks have proven influential, with The New York Times noting they are widely imitated for their plain-spoken instructions and enticing photographs (overseen by Ottolenghi himself). They have been praised by Nigel Slater, David Lebovitz, Deborah Madison, Food & Wine and The Wall Street Journal. Mark Bittman said, “’Plenty’…is among the most generous and luxurious nonmeat cookbooks ever produced, one that instantly reminds us that you don’t need meat to produce over-the-top food.”

In 2014, the London Evening Standard noted Ottolenghi had “radically rewritten the way Londoners cook and eat.” While Bon Appétit wrote that he had “made the world love vegetables.” “Jerusalem” was awarded Cookbook of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals and Best International Cookbook by the James Beard Foundation. Ottolenghi’s books have been named among the best books of the year by The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle and NPR.

Yotam Ottolenghi grew up in Israel to parents of Italian and German descent and spent childhood summers in Italy. Long-based in London, where he co-owns an eponymous group of deli shops and the fine dining restaurants NOPI and ROVI, Ottolenghi spends much of his time creating and testing recipes for his weekly column in The Guardian and monthly column in The New York Times. When he is not cooking, he oversees the day-to-day running of his business and makes occasional television programs. Family life with his husband and two young sons and Pilates are much-loved distractions.

Dan Souza is Editor in Chief of “Cook’s Illustrated.” He is a cast member of the Emmy Award-winning television show “America’s Test Kitchen” and host of the popular web series “What’s Eating Dan?.” Dan is the kitchen editor of The New York Times bestselling book “The Science of Good Cooking” and the James Beard Award-nominated book “Cook’s Science.” He is a regular contributor to “The Splendid Table” radio program, and his personal stories have been featured on “The Moth Radio Hour.” After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Dan cooked in restaurants in Boston, New York and Hungary before finding his true calling: helping home cooks succeed in the kitchen.