This week, my guest is Lior Lev Sercarz. Lior is the chef, spice blender, and owner of La Boîte, a spice shop in New York City. He's previously released the cookbooks The Art of Blending, The Spice Companion and Mastering Spice. This week, he released his 4th book, A Middle Eastern Pantry. In this new cookbook he focuses on the everyday ingredients used throughout this vast region, including Turkey, Tunisia, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Armenia, Jordan, and more, as he offers an homage to the pantry staples that define Middle Eastern cuisine.In addition to discussing his cookbooks, we talk about why he started his spice company, and how it’s evolved since its inception. Currently, he has around 100 spice blends that are available to the public, but he makes an additional 200 blends specifically for other restaurants and businesses. Additionally, he sells 80-90 single spices. We also talk about the procurement process, the quality of his spices, and spice use today vs back in the 80’s. You know…way back when your mom probably had just pepper, granulated garlic and a musty old can of paprika. And not related to spices, we talk about the formation of the Galilee Culinary Institute, something he’s really passionate about. LIOR LEV SERCARZBuy the book A Middle Eastern PantryThe La Boîte websiteInstagram: Lior & La Boîte The Galilee Culinary InstituteOther books: The Art of Blending, The Spice Companion and Mastering Spice CHEFS WITHOUT RESTAURANTS If you enjoy the show and would like to support it financially, please check out our Sponsorship page (we get a commission when you use our links).  Get the Chefs Without Restaurants NewsletterPrivate Facebook groupChefs Without Restaurants InstagramChefs Without Restaurants on TikTokChefs Without Restaurants on YouTubeChris Spear's personal chef business Perfect Little BitesSPONSOR INFOUnited States Personal Chef AssociationAre you a personal chef looking for support and growth opportunities? Look no further than the United States Personal Chef Association! With nearly 1,000 members across the US and Canada, USPCA provides liability insurance, certification, lead generation, and more. Consumers can trust that their meal experience is insured and supported by USPCA.And now, for a limited time, save $75 on new membership and get your premier listing on Hire a Chef by using the code TaxBreak2023 at USPCA.com. Plus, if you have products or services to sell to chefs and their clients, showcase your business on the Hire a Chef and USPCA websites with our great introductory packages.To learn more about membership, advertising, or partnership opportunities, call Angela at 800-995-2138 ext. 705 or email aprather@uspca.com.