Alain Bennouna

Expert Interview: Alain Bennouna

Behind the Chef

What were your favorite foods growing up?
I loved lentil tagine and lamb stew with cauliflower.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
In 1996.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
When I was very little in my mom's kitchen in Morocco.

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
A lawyer. I even graduated from law school.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
The people close to me; my kids and my friends that I always cook for.

How would you describe your cuisine?
New Mediterranean.

What influences your cooking style and particularly the menu at your restaurant?
French and Moroccan cuisine mainly.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
I love knives!

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
I have a few...I love saffron, ginger and Ras el Hanout which is a blend of many spices that I bring back with me from Morocco whenever I visit.

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Again, I have a few: Be clean, be organized and cook with love.

What qualities do you look for when hiring cooks for your restaurant?
Punctuality, sincerity, cleanness, and organization.

If I am trying to watch my weight and I am eating at your restaurant, what am I ordering to eat?
All my food is healthy, just try to avoid a lot of meat. I eat lots of my food, and I am slim and fit!

What was the most challenging meal you had to make? Why?
Desserts, because I don't like sweets.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
One day during brunch, one of the cooks didn't show up and we weren't ready for the volume.

What is your least favorite food?
Any creamy, greasy food.

What is your beverage of choice?
Wine and ginger ale.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
Most of the time I eat at home. If I go out, I head straight for sushi.

What foreign country inspires your style most?
France, Morocco, and Spain.

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
Lamb shank.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Use simple food, don't try to reinvent the wheel.

What do you eat when you are home?
If I am not cooking, I make fresh cold cut sandwiches.

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Expert Profile

Olivia Bistro is Chef Alain Bennouna's return trip to the big apple. This exciting new Mediterranean tapas eatery is sure to delight Manhattanites in the East Village. With a very successful restaurant, Zitoune, in the meat packing district many years ago, Chef Bennouna and his wife Marie are very excited to be back in the hustle bustle of New York's restaurant scene. This entrepreneurial couple have been in the restaurant industry for many years. First with their original Zitoune Restaurant in New York, then in Westchester where they currently still own the Mammaroneck installment of Zitoune Restaurant, a Moroccan favorite.

In his spare time, Chef Bennouna also owns and run a travel agency, arranging luxury tours to Morocco, with a special emphasis on learning about the wonderful food of the region. Chef Bennouna and wife Marie are very excited about their latest endeavor, Olivia Bistro, on East 9th Street in New York City..