Episode 30: Fadi Kattan: Food is Political

May 12

Fadi Kattan’s work sits at the intersection of food, identity, memory, and cultural preservation. Born in Bethlehem and trained in Paris and London, he returned home after studying hotel management at Institut Vatel to found Fawda, where he began reimagining Palestinian cuisine with refinement while remaining deeply rooted in tradition, terroir, and storytelling.

Since then, Fadi has brought Palestinian hospitality to an international audience through projects including Akub in London, Louf in Toronto. Across his restaurants, writing, and media work, he uses food not simply as cuisine, but as a way of documenting history, celebrating artisans and producers, and preserving the diverse culinary traditions of Palestine.

This conversation was recorded on February 27, 2026 while Fadi was in London UK and was intended to be the first episode of our new season. However, technical difficulties forced us to cut the recording short. The following day, escalating conflict in the region following Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran further destabilized an already fragile situation across the Middle East. Travelling onward to Paris, Fadi remained stranded there for several weeks, deeply concerned for family and friends caught in the middle of the ongoing crisis affecting Palestine, Lebanon, and the wider region.

In our conversation with Fadi reflects on what it means to cook, create, and tell stories from a place shaped by occupation, displacement, resilience, and cultural pride. His work reminds us that food is never just about nourishment, it is also about memory, identity, survival, and humanity.

To learn more about Fadi and his work please visit his website or follow him on instagram. You can purchase a copy of his book, Bethlehem:
A celebration of Palestinian Food, to delve deeper into the recipes and culinary traditions of Palestine.