I come from the south of France and grew up in Marseille which is full of scents from the wonderful boulangeries and cheese stores. The interest in food was there from a very early age. My mother is from Italy, and she always cooked fantastic food. In Italy food is culture and family recipes are serious secrets. Going shopping with mom, or dad, who is from Morocco, taught me about quality, flavour, spices, and seasonal produce.
Karim Khouani
My favourite dish is red mullet, a small Mediterranean saltwater fish.
It all came very naturally to me and that’s why I started working in a professional kitchen already at 14, as a pastry apprentice. Starting from scratch as an apprentice was tough but an extremely good school for learning the craft. Later on, when I was 18, I went to London and managed to get a job at Marco Pierre White in Holland Park, a 3-star Guide Michelin restaurant. And from there on I kept on going around the world.
My thoughts revolve around food, drinks, and ingredients.
Karim Khouani
I came to Sweden from Singapore in 2010 and in 2015 my restaurant received a star in the Guide Michelin.
Favourite utensils are probably a good spoon to taste everything.
When you cook a lot, you want to have a lot of open shelves, like you can with String. You don’t want too many doors and cabinets. There is no need, everything on the shelves is used almost every day. And you want everything within reach. Hooks, hanger racks, and rods are a really good way to keep utensils and pans at the ready. Metal shelves are hardy and give the kitchen a nice rustic look. What I really like about String are the cork accessories such as the underlays, where you can put a hot pan to cool down - and of course the bottle tray for the wine!
