Award-winning chef, writer and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi will be speaking to Lauren Gilger, host of KJZZ’s “The Show,” for a conversation in front of a live audience at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

Gilger will moderate a 60-minute discussion with Ottolenghi on stage, then the chef will answer audience questions for 20 to 30 minutes. Audiences are likely to hear about Ottolenghi’s childhood and the path that led him to cooking, about food as identity, and why at-home food preparation has surged in the pandemic era. 

The future chef began his culinary journey by studying French pastry cooking at Le Cordon Bleu. He then served as a pastry chef at three London restaurants before becoming head pastry chef at the artisanal pastry shop Baker and Spice.

“Ottolenghi’s ‘FLAVOR’ is one of my most used cookbooks right now and I keep gifting it to others,” Abbey Messmer, programming director at the center, shared in a statement. “I love his fresh and simple ideas that take plant-based dishes to the next level.”

His debut cookbook, “Ottolenghi,” co-authored with Palestinian chef Sami Tamimi, was published in 2008. Six more internationally bestselling volumes have followed. Ottolenghi’s books have sold more than 1.5 million copies in North America and 5 million worldwide.

Alongside his publishing career, Ottolenghi also co-owns six deli shops and fine dining restaurants in London, while also spending time creating and testing recipes for his weekly column in The Guardian and a monthly column in The New York Times.

Audience members can join the discussion with Ottolenghi at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets start at $29. Arrive early to submit a question for the question-and-answer portion of the event.

A limited quantity of signed copies of “FLAVOR” and “Ottolenghi Test Kitchen” will be available for purchase.

Visit ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/events or call 480-499-TKTS (8587).