ORIGINS JOSH KATZ

Inspired by North London shawarma, his Jewish heritage and a South African passion for barbecue, Josh Katz worked for Ottolenghi before cutting his own path with Berber & Q, Shawarma Bar and Carmel

With parents from South Africa, cooking with fire was always going to be close to Josh Katz’s heart – but add in his Ashkenazi Jewish upbringing and travels through Morocco, Turkey and Israel and the bold flavours of the Middle East and North Africa would also play a big role. Kitchen life began with Chris Galvin and then Ottolenghi, before opening Berber & Q in 2015

Friday night meals

My heritage is Ashkenazi Jewish and my grandparents passed down their recipes for salt beef, smoked salmon and sweet and sour brisket that we would eat on Passover. Food plays a big part in Jewish culture, especially on Friday nights where everyone comes together to break bread. This idea of sharing food is something I always want to bring to my restaurants.

Barbecue

My parents hailed from South Africa, where braai is huge. We would visit my grandparents every year and barbecue unusual South African dishes such as steak and monkey gland sauce. As part of the ex-pat community, we had family friends in Canada and I would spend the entire summer holidays as a child cooking over live fire. We would grill everything from hamburgers to boerewors sausage.

Israeli cuisine

Growing up in London’s Golders Green, I was surrounded by Israeli restaurants and I would spend all my pocket money on falafel and shawarma. This Sephardic Jewish cooking is relatively new and combines Arabic, Lebanese and Turkish influences. Its a hot pot of incredible flavours. I love the restaurants in Tel Aviv and before the pandemic I would travel there at least once every two years for inspiration.

Turkish grills

My friends and I would go to Edgware Road to smoke shisha and work our way through plates of houmous, fattoush and grilled meats. Turkish cuisine is on another level. There’s so much depth and technique that goes in to it. We would drive all over London for Turkish grills and when I visited Istanbul I thought my head was going to explode – the grilled meat, stews and kunefe [cheese pastries] there are other-worldly.

Lamb

I have special memories of a dish called Roman lamb that my parents used to cook, where the meat would be covered in rich, sweet and sour tomato sauce. I discovered lamb mechoui travelling in Marrakech and it is my finest street-food experience of all time. Whole lamb is slow-cooked underground with cumin, salt and harissa – everyone needs to try it. People start queuing for it when the stalls open and it’s gone by three. We have it on the menu at Berber & Q.

Sydney

I was there for two years studying and also working in a gourmet burger place, and I spent the money I earned on dining out. Sydney has a vibrant café culture with brilliant chefs and I had an unbelievable time. I loved the relaxed restaurants of places such as Brown Sugar in Bondi and from then I knew I wanted to work in restaurants. When I returned to London, my dad told me to write to all the chefs – and Chris Galvin took me into his kitchens.

Ottolenghi

After 18 months working at Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, I joined Ottolenghi as a sous chef. I’d walk past his deli in Notting Hill where the vibrant displays drew me in. His Jerusalem cookbook is one of my favourites too. It was my time here that shaped what I love to cook – Ottolenghi’s bold flavours felt like home.

Cauliflower

Whole-roasted cauliflower in olive oil is one of the simplest yet most incredible dishes. I had it during a trip to Tel Aviv at Eyal Shani’s restaurant, Miznon. Sometimes a good-quality ingredient is all you need. I started to experiment with colours and flavours and when we opened Berber & Q, our cauliflower shawarma just took off.

New York

New York is a melting pot of different cuisines from all over and houses the best restaurants in the world. My favourites are the grill houses, and Fette Sau in Williamsburg tops the list. For me, the city is the pinnacle of hospitality and I can’t wait to return.