Joudie Kalla
Joudie Kalla is a chef who first learnt to cook traditional Palestinian food in her mother’s kitchen, before studying at Leiths School of Food and Wine, where she added French and British cuisine to her repertoire.
She has worked as a chef for 18 years in restaurants such as Pengelley’s (a Gordon Ramsay restaurant), Daphne’s, and Papillon (with Michelin-starred chef David Duverger).
She has cooked for Lloyd Grossman, has created a range of Palestine-inspired deserts for Prestat Chocolatiers’ shop in Sloane Square, catered private events, taught classes, and has hosted sell-out supper clubs all over London, including for the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation.
For years, Joudie ran her own catering company and, later, her own deli in Knightsbridge called Baity Kitchen. ‘Baity’ means ‘My Home’ in Arabic, reflecting the deli’s focus on recreating a sense of Palestine through Joudie’s healthy, seasonal home cooking.
Her first book PALESTINE ON A PLATE (Jacqui Small Publishing, 2016) was inspired by her conversations with customers at Baity Kitchen, who would ask her for recipes and cooking tips. Joudie’s latest book BALADI: PALESTINE was published in 2018 by Jacqui Small Publishing. Both books were published by Interlink Publishing in the USA and Canada.
“This book goes to the heart of the relationship between food and identity, and conveys a sense of belonging through beautiful, compelling and, yes joyous recipes. I just want to eat everything in it.” (Nigella Lawson on BALADI)
Website: www.palestineonaplate.com
Instagram: @palestineonaplate