Celebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi is in Edinburgh today as preparations continue for the opening of his first restaurant in Scotland.
The celebrity chef, restaurateur and bestselling cookery writer will make two public appearances in the capital on Tuesday, 8 September, as part of a tour promoting his new book Simple Too.
Ottolenghi will first appear at Waterstones West End on Princes Street for a meet-and-greet at 2.30pm.
The bookshop is just around the corner from the chef’s forthcoming restaurant at 92 George Street and has promoted today’s appearance as a celebration of both the new book and the “exciting opening” of Ottolenghi in Edinburgh.
He will then appear at McEwan Hall at 7pm for an evening discussing Simple Too with Edinburgh-based cookery writer Jess Elliott Dennison.
The visit comes as work continues to transform the George Street premises ahead of the restaurant’s expected opening this autumn. It will be the group’s first restaurant in Scotland and its first UK location outside London.
The Edinburgh kitchen will be led by Ottolenghi executive chef Neil John Campbell, who grew up on the Isle of Skye and has worked with the restaurant group for almost a decade.
Campbell previously worked in Michelin-starred kitchens in Scotland before spending time in Australia and joining Ottolenghi.
The restaurant is expected to bring the colourful, vegetable-led style of cooking for which Ottolenghi has become internationally known to Edinburgh, with Scottish produce also playing an important role.
Announcing the project earlier this year, Ottolenghi said the group had been dreaming about coming to Edinburgh for years and highlighted the city’s food culture and access to Scottish fish, seafood and vegetables.
The arrival will add another high-profile name to George Street’s hospitality scene and marks a significant expansion for a restaurant business which began with a small deli in Notting Hill in 2002.
Ottolenghi has since become one of Britain’s most influential food figures, publishing a string of bestselling cookbooks and developing restaurants and delis including NOPI and ROVI.
Ottolenghi Edinburgh is due to open at 92 George Street later this autumn.