Tony Kitous’ first foray into the restaurant business came at the early age of 22 when he opened his first restaurant, Baboon, in 1993. Born in Algeria he travelled widely throughout the Middle East and drew on his cultural heritage to create Levant in 2000, the restaurant which raised the profile of Middle Eastern restaurant culture in the London scene. Its sister restaurant, Levantine, opened in Paddington in 2004.
At the end of 2005, Tony acquired Pasha and transformed it into the most opulent and seductive restaurant of its kind in the capital. He then launched Kenza, a visual feast of Middle Eastern craftsmanship and rich design, in the City of London in 2007. The first Comptoir Libanais opened at Westfield Shopping Centre in November 2008.
Dan Lepard is a baker and photographer who has worked with the likes of Ottolenghi, Giorgio Locatelli and Fergus Henderson. He is the author of the bestselling Short and Sweet and has a popular baking column in the Saturday Guardian. He writes frequently for Sainsbury’s Magazine and is also currently designing a range of baking products for Sainsbury’s.
