MEET THE CHEF: TARA KHATTAR
Born and raised in Lebanon before moving to France and earning a Bachelor’s degree in Gastronomy and Restaurant Management from Institut Paul Bocuse, the young Tara Khattar is building her legacy in the US market on solid ground. Trained in Michelin-starred restaurants, including L'atelier de Joël Robuchon in Paris, Khattar is currently a food consultant and a caterer, specializing in personalized high-end dinners and parties.
1. How has being a woman influenced your career? Being a woman in the professional culinary world is very hard. You have to work harder than men to earn respect. I think this hard work helped me become a better chef; I became faster, perfected my skills quickly and could not afford to make mistakes. I would not want to be anything else. I think being a woman in this industry is awesome; you get to 'kick ass' and look amazing doing it! 2. How did being Lebanese affect your career? I think it plays an enormous part in the person and chef I am today. Being Lebanese made me a fighter and very resourceful, both of which are qualities that help me tremendously in the cooking environment. The Lebanese culture is largely present in my style of cooking. I enjoy using the spices in my recipes and love reinventing classic recipes into modern and daring delicate dishes.
3. You ventured into the US because... Although I love both Lebanon and France, I felt like I needed to be in a more open environment that welcomed experimentation and fueled my crazy, curious personality, in order to achieve my full potential, both as a chef and on a personal level. New York is a city that never ceases to inspire me and push me to my limits. It teaches me new things every day and allows me to be bold and rebellious. I am simply addicted to it. It allows me to really be who I am and whoever I want to be; no judgment.
4. If you weren't a chef, what would you be? I cannot imagine myself doing anything else. Cooking is not just what I do; it is who I am. However, if I wasn't working with food, I would be doing something that would require a lot of traveling, working directly with people and ideally, near the ocean.
5. Are you considering any projects in Lebanon? Lebanon is my country and it will always play a big part in my life. Even though New York is my main residence at the moment, I still go to Lebanon a few times a year and have projects there. I do select catering and consulting and really enjoy it. I am currently working on projects in New York, France and Lebanon and I am willing to go anywhere if the project is interesting.