Did you spot Israeli chef Eran Tibi on Great British Menu this week? The owner of Kapara in Soho and Bala Baya in Shoreditch appeared alongside French chef Eve Seemann of Apricity, Jason Howard from Brixton’s Flava Centre and Jean Dalport, executive chef at Sussex restaurant Interlude.
Israeli-born Tibi is of Syrian and Tunisian descent and started his career in the industry aged 30 after training at the Cordon Bleu in London. He worked for Yotam Ottolenghi before launching his own restaurant, Bala Baya in Southwark, in 2017. He then opened Kapara in Soho, which serves eastern Mediterranean dishes that pay homage to his mother’s cooking and father’s baking.
Tibi proudly describes his restaurants as Israeli and brought plenty of his background to bear in his cooking, including a chicken soup and a cheesecake. The contestants were asked to create dishes inspired by important historical figures.
Tibi made it though the first round but unfortunately lost out in the second round with judges penalising him for not finishing on time.
Tibi said the experience was “great fun” and is now preparing to serve some of the dishes at Kapara for a limited time. All four of his main dishes from the show will be available from 24 March, including Amy’s chicken soup, which is an ode to Amy Winehouse.
Great British Menu is on BBC2 and BBC iPlayer
