The jerusalem chef delights the taste buds from the Holy City to Paris via London, mixing Eastern and Western inspiration. Recently, he opened Tekes, a new trendy restaurant with Israelite flavors. Acumen looks back on the career of this chef who has made his hometown his primary inspiration.
“I was born and raised in Jerusalem and I love this city.” That’s what you can read on the website of chef Assaf Granit, who seduces the whole of Paris with his Levantine flavors, thanks to his restaurants, Shabour, Balagan, and recently, Tekes. In his family, cooking is a heritage that has been passed down from grandmother to grandmother and which has become, under the chef’s hat, a true reference. If the Holy City inspires the accomplished chef at the head of fourteen establishments – who also participates in three Israeli cooking shows, such as Cauchemar en cuisine, like Philippe Etchebest or Gordon Ramsey – it is because it is home to an immense number of diverse cultures. Moroccans, Yemenis, Europeans… A multitude of culinary traditions from here and elsewhere that have fed his cosmopolitan universe. He says he remembers his grandmother cooking with open windows and discussing with his neighbors different recipes with distant origins. An openness to the world, undoubtedly the foundation that forges the creativity of great cooks.
Self-taught, Assaf Granit launched himself into the world of gastronomy by working in the kitchens of Jerusalemite and European restaurants before opening his first restaurant in the city of David. He soon opened two restaurants in London, five in his native country and now has three restaurants in Paris, including Shabour, which was awarded a Michelin star in January 2021. Recently, he opened Tékes, a new meeting place where nature, emotion, and roots resonate with the magic formula: “to give back to the earth what it has the goodness to offer.” This is done by making plants the star of the plate. He revisits them, exploits them, perfumes them but, above all, handles them with love and respect. In this new restaurant, the flame sparks in the eyes of the guests: an open kitchen and ancestral cooking are the order of the day, offering an unforgettable olfactory spectacle. Until now, the restaurant has only been open in the evening, but this month it will offer a lunch break, a take-away, and a juice and cocktail bar. This is a great way to get away from it all for a while and take a look at the memories of the chef who has made his origins his culinary trademark.
Tekes
4bis rue Saint-Sauveur
75002 Paris
https://www.tekesrestaurant.com/
Cheynnes Tlili