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A native of Iran who once dreamed of becoming a judge, Nasim Alikhani's road to chefdom and proprietorship has been a circuitous one, to say the least. But she's more than made up for lost time at her hit Brooklyn restaurant Sofreh, where she serves her personal take on Persian cuisine. As the restaurant settles into the second half of its first decade, Nasim has also just this week seen her first cookbook published: Sofreh: A Contemporary Approach to Classic Persian Cuisine (written in collaboration with Theresa Gambacorta). In this episode, Nasim sits down with Andrew to share her story, the meaning of sofreh to both restaurant and book, some distinct characteristics of Persian food, and the lessons she's learned along the way.

This episode is brought to you in part by meez, the recipe operating system for culinary professionals. Try out their free basic version today.

Andrew’s next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.

Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news.