“It is more than twenty years since we left the city. This is a serious chunk of time, longer than the years we spent living there. Yet we still think of Jerusalem as our home. Not home in the sense of the place that you conduct your daily life or constantly return to. In fact, Jerusalem is our home almost against our wills. It is our home because it defines us, whether we like it or not.”

Israeli-British chef, restaurateur, and food writer

Yotam Assaf Ottolenghi is an Israeli-British chef, restaurateur, and food writer. He is known for his cookbooks and for co-owning delis and restaurants in London and Bicester Village with Sami Tamimi. His published books include Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, Plenty, Jerusalem, and Simple. His work sits at the meeting point of cooking and writing, with a focus on food, restaurants, and the tastes that shaped his career.