Babylon Restaurant Welcomes Celebrity Guest Chef Najat Kaanache to Raleigh Food & Wine Festival

Creative Director Samad Hachby and Executive Chef Jean Paul Fontaine welcome charismatic chef with global experience to special Thursday, May 19, five-course dinner

Raleigh, NC - Babylon Restaurant in Downtown Raleigh will play host to celebrity guest chef dinner on Thursday, May 19, 2016 as part of the 2016 Raleigh Food & Wine Festival.

Babylon’s Creative Director Samad Hachby and Executive Chef Jean Paul Fontaine welcome special guest Chef Najat Kaanache to Babylon Restaurant and invite diners to experience five courses inspired by the chef’s Moroccan background and infused with her global restaurant experiences. Kaanache draws inspiration for her menus from the connection between human beings and Mother Nature - having grown up between the Spanish countryside of San Sebastian and the Atlas of Morocco, Kaanache is known for her use of rustic flavors and fragrant spices.

The dinner on Thursday will consists of a 5-course meal that features:

Welcome Cocktail: Lavender w/ Citrus Cloud

Amuse: Explosive Olive Ferran Adria

Salad: Frida Goes to Fes (Moroccan Spiced Salad on Peach Pond)

App: Quail Egg Ma’akouda

Entree: Atlas Surf & Turf (Yogi Shrimp and Braised Lamb)

Dessert: Chocolate Magnum

Reservations are $100 per person and are required in advance. You may purchase reservations at http://www.babylonraleigh.com/2016/05/rfwf-guest-chef-dinner-featuring-chef-najat-kaanache/ or you may call the restaurant at 919-838-8595 to reserve your space. For more information visit http://www.BabylonRaleigh.com.

About Chef Najat Kaanache

Chef Najat Kaanache has trained in some of the world’s most critically-acclaimed restaurants with some of the world’s top chefs, including Ferran Adria, Thomas Keller, and Grant Achatz. Ferran Adria, Chef of El Bulli writes of Kaanache: “Najat Kaanache represents the soul of Morocco through the language of the kitchen. Her passion for creativity and innovation are an exemplary reference to the whole country.” She was the first and only Moroccan chef to ever work at the famed Spanish restaurant, El Bulli. After leaving El Bulli, Kaanache taught and lectured alongside White House Executive Pastry Chef, Bill Yosses on the science of cooking at Harvard University, New York University, and world science festivals from New York to Beijing.

Kaanache’s culinary background, upbringing, and strong philanthropy to empower women and children has led her to much success. It has inspired the creation of numerous restaurants, a humanitarian organization and her own Moroccan cooking show, Cocina Marroqui. Chef Najat Kaanache firmly believes that food is the most important connection we have with one another and aims to nourish the body and soul with her authentic approach to cooking. Follow Kaanache’s culinary adventures online via Twitter: https://twitter.com/NajatKaanache.

About Babylon

The layered flavors of seasonal Moroccan cuisine are rooted in the marriage of its regal spices. The interplay of different aromas – how one combines turmeric with saffron; ginger with preserved lemons; nutmeg with olive oil — these are Babylon’s tasting notes. Founded by Creative Director Samad Hachby in a renovated, historic knitting mill tucked into a quiet corner of Downtown Raleigh, Babylon is known for its expansive outdoor patio and inspired Moroccan dining. Learn more about Babylon online at http://www.BabylonRaleigh.com.