Food Stories with Itamar Srulovich and Friends

Rosamund Grant is a published cookery writer/consultant, Caribbean food expert, former restaurant owner of Bambaya in Crouch End .Rosamund has authored several books on Caribbean and African cooking, e.g. Caribbean and African Cookery (1995), Taste of Africa (1999) and Taste of the Caribbean (2001) and was one of the ‘Hot Chefs’ on the BBC TV Series. In 2001, Rosamund’s oral history was recorded as part of the British Library’s National Life Stories Collection; Food: From Source to Salespoint. During Lockdown and currently Rosamund has been volunteering in her local community, producing weekly hot meals for charities, food banks and Street Kitchen.

Olia Hercules was born in the South of Ukraine. She studied Italian language and International Relations at the University of Warwick. After spending a year in Italy, Olia settled in London, pursuing a career in journalism. She would later quit her job as a film business reporter to pursue her dream to cook for a living. Dedicated to researching food culture and culinary traditions of countries less explored, Hercules is the author of the award-winning cookbooks Mamushka, Kaukasis and Summer Kitchens. Her upcoming book, Strong Roots – A Ukrainian Family Story through War, Exile and Hope, is published in June.

Angela Hui is the author of Takeaway: A Childhood Behind the Counter, journalist and editor, specialising in food, drink, lifestyle, travel, race and identity. She was the former food and drink editor at Time Out London and the lifestyle reporter at HuffPost. Her work has been widely published in 50 Best, The BBC, The Guardian, Financial Times, the Independent, i News, Lonely Planet, Metro, Michelin Guide, National Geographic Traveller, Refinery29, Service95, South China Morning Post, Sunday Times, Stylist, Vice and Vittles.

Jeremy Lee is the renowned and award-winning Chef Proprietor of Soho’s Quo Vadis. Jeremy had previously manned the stoves of Sir Terence Conran’s Blueprint Café and worked with such distinguished restaurateurs as Simon Hopkinson and Alastair Little. He writes for numerous newspapers and periodicals and has appeared on Channel 4’s Could You Eat an Elephant? and several series of the BBC’s Great British Menu. Jeremy’s first cookbook, Cooking: Simply and Well for One or Many, was published by 4th Estate in 2022.

Marie Mitchell is a writer, chef and co-founder of Island Social Club – a space that was aimed at filling the void left by the erosion of London’s once thriving Caribbean social scene. Conscious of driving British-Caribbean cuisine, and thus culture, forward, she develops her dishes by focusing on history, geography, and contemporary ingredients found in her locale and home in London. Marie has written for Observer Food Monthly, Guardian Feast, Borough Market, Waitrose Food and Resy London. She’s spoken live at the DO Lectures, featured on Sunday Brunch,Broadcasting House, and Jamie Oliver’s Meat Free Meals. Her first cookbook, Kin, a collection of recipes from the Caribbean and its diaspora, was published in 2024 by Particular Books, and will be published in 2025 by Norton.

Cynthia Shanmugalingam is a British-Sri Lankan cook whose debut cookbook and culinary memoir Rambutan: Recipes from Sri Lanka (Bloomsbury UK, 2022) won the Fortnum and Mason's Best Debut Cookery Book 2023, and was named as a best cookbook of the year by the New York Times, LA Times, Chrissy Teigan, and Bon Appetit. She is the chef-proprietor of the Borough Market restaurant Rambutan, which opened in March 2023 and was hailed as 'dazzling' by the Financial Times. At its heart, the style of cooking tells a story of an immigrant Sri Lankan family cooking their way out of a profound sense of loss about the place their parents call ‘home’.

Itamar Srulovich was born and raised in Jerusalem. Cooking since the age of five and leaving a great mess in the kitchen ever since, Itamar trained on the job in various places in Tel Aviv, where he met his wife, Sarit. Itamar and Sarit moved to London in 2004 and opened Middle Eastern restaurant Honey & Co in London in 2012, launching a grill house Honey & Smoke and food store Honey & Spice close behind. They have written four cookbooks, write a weekly recipe column for FT Weekend Magazine and host a podcast, Honey & Co: The Food Sessions. Be entertained with delicious recipes and food and travel stories from Sarit and Itamar on Instagram – @honeyandco.

Ruby Tandoh is a writer from Essex, currently living in London. She has written for the New Yorker, Vittles, ELLE, the Guardian and more, and has written a book called All Consuming, about modern food culture, out in Autumn this year.

Dom Taylor is a chef with a deep passion for Caribbean cuisine. Crowned winner of Netflix’s Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Great Chef, he went on to secure a sell-out residency at The Langham Hotel with his acclaimed concept, The Good Front Room. Rooted in classical training, industry experience, and sacred family teachings, Dom’s approach to food is both innovative and deeply respectful of tradition. His mission is to modernise and revitalise Caribbean cookery with authenticity, evoking nostalgia while creating a cultural dialogue through food that engages the mind, body, and senses. Dom’s influence extends to product development, including Marvee Rum and a range of sauces, such as his signature plantain jam. Passionate about mentorship, sustainability, and the future of Caribbean cuisine, he continues to push boundaries, championing its rich heritage and ensuring its flavours are celebrated worldwide.

This is an in-person only event in the British Library Knowledge Centre. Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event.  If you have specific access requirements please email customer@bl.uk

There are a range of concessions available. These include discounts for British Library Members, half-price tickets for students and under 26s, free entry for carers as well as a number of other concessions.