Press
Chef Ahktar Nawab on new cookbook, diversity of dishes
Chef Ahktar Nawab is a first-generation Indian-American with classical training in Italian and French and is now known for his Mexican cuisine. He worked in some of New York’s best-known restaurants before venturing out on his own. After 25 years in the restaurant industry, he’s published his first cookbook: “Good For You: Bold Flavors with […]
Three Generations of the Nawab Family Gather in Louisville
Chef Akhtar Nawabʼs parents immigrated to the United States from India in 1969. Theyʼve been celebrating Thanksgiving in Kentucky ever since. Akhtar Nawab drops a fleck of flour into a pan of hot oil; it bubbles, so itʼs time. Beside him, his mother, Sahro, whom he calls “Ammi,” grabs pieces of dough from the master […]
Here is what chefs across the country are cooking for themselves while quarantining at home
As the world takes a collective breath and comfortably settles in at home in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus, people’s relationships to food and cooking seem to have deepened. Kitchens, it turns out, are essential in times of crisis. Particular attention is given to the professional chefs that are used to […]
The Fantasy of a Personal Chef, with CookUnity
The subscription service delivers diverse, ready-to-heat meals by some of New York’s most prominent restaurateurs, including Dan Kluger, of Loring Place; Einat Admony, of Taïm; and Esther Choi, of Mökbar. On a recent Monday, I received a large tote filled with a dozen cardboard containers, each sealed with plastic and sheathed in a paper sleeve: […]
Akhtar Cooks with MingTsai
This week on “Simply Ming,” chef Akhtar Nawab, recently honored with the Bib Gourmand distinction from the 2018 Michelin Guide, stops by Ming’s loft to cook with delectable mushrooms. Akhtar makes a hearty mushroom Bolognese with homemade ligurian corzetti pasta, while Ming follows with wok-stirred maitake mushrooms atop a scallion noodle cake. Its East meets […]
Akhtar Nawab’s Bison Burger with Balsamic Onions
Bison is super lean and high in protein compared to other meats. It is also lower in calories and cholesterol than beef and has a lot of flavor in it. It’s a little gamey but not overpowering. It gives you a meaty burger that sears and caramelizes well without that much fat. TECHNIQUE TIP: Because […]
Food hall in Cook County Hospital development to open with roster of minority-owned vendors
Dr. Murphy’s Food Hall opens Aug. 3 in a refurbished hospital building with a lineup of not-your-usual-suspect vendors, some of whom are first-time operators and 75% of whom are minority and women-owned businesses. Visitors to the food hall will face a wide-range of food-options, from Nepalese street food to Mississippi Delta cuisine, Vietnamese dishes to […]
New York City Restaurants Are Adjusting Menus, Adding Quarantine Meals
March 2020 brings an unprecedented time for restaurants in New York City. While many eateries have closed completely following government orders to only serve takeout options, others are amending their business plans to continue service as the COVID pandemic and precautions surrounding the outbreak consume the city. While the situation and regulations are changing daily, […]
How an Indian-American from Kentucky became a Mexican chef
Louisville, KY, is the earliest place Akhtar Nawab can remember. He still feels rooted to the city, even though growing up there the chef knew only one other Indian family. “There is a real truth to Southern hospitality,” Nawab said. “I always felt comfortable there.” Nawab has a kind face, which makes him look a […]
Food halls: Redesigning the dining experience
Once upon a time, Americans actually left their houses to shop. But with the rise of online shopping, thousands of brick-and-mortar retail stores have closed – and some developers are hoping to fill that empty space by filling eager bellies. “Even if you’ve been here 10 times, you walk in and you’re discovering something different,” […]
Communal Table Podcast: Akhtar Nawab
Akhtar Nawab talks about unhealthy stress, smart partnerships, and present parenting. Listen Here Chefs and restaurant workers take great care of everyone else, but often they need a little help themselves. Each week, Food & Wine senior editor Kat Kinsman talks with hospitality pros about they manage their business, brain, and body for the long haul. Is there […]
Akhtar Nawab Brings His Mexican-Indian Cooking to New Orleans
Otra Vez opens April 15 with Nawab’s famous shrimp tacos, pumpkin blossom quesadillas, and plenty of Gulf seafood. A quick look at the menu at Otra Vez, Akhtar Nawab’s new restaurant in New Orleans, reveals many of the same classic Mexican dishes he serves at his beloved Brooklyn spot, Alta Calidad; there are quesadillas and tacos to be had, but […]
10 Dishes With Chef Akhtar Nawab
The chef and owner of New Orleans’ Otra Vez and New York’s Alta Calidad tackles our speed round of questions. by Noah Rothbaum After a shift, what is your favorite guilty pleasure to eat?“Anything from a Chinatown in any city. I always go for dishes like jellyfish salad, chicken and mushroom, 1,000-year-old egg fried rice, […]
How Chef Akhtar Nawab Makes Alta Calidad’s Mind-blowing, Indian-Mexican-European Bone-Marrow Roti
You want to eat this. Photo: Melissa Hom Alta Calidad — a sunny corner dining room in Prospect Heights — is billed as “innovative Mexican,” though that description doesn’t tell the restaurant’s entire story. Instead, it’s best to look at the restaurant’s “roti,” which itself is a bit misnamed. A classic Indian roti is just wheat flour, […]
“I want Indians, Indian Americans to start consuming more Mexican food”: Akhtar Nawab
Indian American chef Akhtar Nawab has a passion for making Mexican food and wants other Indian Americans as well as Indians in India to take up the Mexican flavor too. Graduating from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, Nawab has been cooking up meals for 25 years now with the desire to cook since […]