In this interview, Naama and Assaf discuss using olive oil to elevate dishes by creating great flavor profiles, as well as the role of olive oil in Middle Eastern and Israeli cuisine.
Naama Tamir was born and raised in the city of Rehovot in Israel, and moved to New York in 2000 after her mandatory Israeli Defense Force service. Naama studied philosophy and psychology at Hunter College while moonlighting in the hospitality industry. In 2011, along with her brother-partner Assaf Tamir, they opened Lighthouse, a socially and environmentally progressive restaurant. In August 2016 they opened their second location, Lighthouse Outpost. Naama is a producer for the Umami Food and Art Festival, chair of sustainability practices and green initiatives for BaBar, and contributor to the No Free Lunch sustainability platform. Naama also consults for the Fair Kitchens Initiative, and contributes to the James Beard Foundation Impact Program.
This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service, thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.
Learn more about olive oil at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/olive-oil-and-the-plant-forward-kitchen