Greg Malouf
🇱🇧 Lebanon · Lebanese cuisine · b. 1956
The Australian chef whose books are the leading English-language reference on modern Middle Eastern cuisine.
Biography
Greg Malouf is a Melbourne-born chef of Lebanese descent whose work since the late 1990s has established him as one of the most important contemporary voices on Middle Eastern cuisine in English. As executive chef at MoMo in Melbourne and later at Petersham Nurseries Café in London (one Michelin star), he developed a style that translates the home cooking of Lebanon, Syria, Persia and the broader Levant into fine-dining presentations without losing the flavour profiles of the originals.
His cookbooks, written with his ex-wife Lucy Malouf — including 'Saha,' 'Saraban,' 'Arabesque,' 'Turquoise' and 'New Feast' — won multiple international awards (the IACP, the World Cookbook Awards) and remain the leading English-language reference works on modern Middle Eastern cooking.
He has consulted for restaurants and hotels across the Middle East, Europe and Australia, and is widely cited as a key influence on the current generation of Middle Eastern chefs working in the West.
Cooking Philosophy
Middle Eastern cooking deserves the rigour of fine dining without losing its soul. Malouf takes the layered spice mixtures (baharat, ras el hanout), preserved-lemon brines, slow-cooked stews and elaborate sweets of Levantine and Persian home cooking and presents them in modern restaurant formats — but he insists on flavour fidelity over visual gimmicks.
Restaurants
- MoMoMelbourne (closed)
Malouf's earlier flagship; modern Middle Eastern.
- Petersham Nurseries CaféRichmond, London
Held one Michelin star while Malouf was head chef.
Awards & Recognition
- Michelin star (Petersham Nurseries Café)
- World Cookbook Award (Saha, Saraban)
- IACP Cookbook Award
- Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
Iconic Dishes
Cookbooks
- Saha
- Saraban
- Arabesque
- Turquoise
- New Feast
- Persia: A Cookbook
Signature Recipes Inspired by Greg
Original recipes we created as homages to Greg's cooking style and signature dishes. Not direct reproductions of any copyrighted material — these are our interpretations of the traditionsGreg has worked with throughout their career.
Recipes in Greg's Style
These recipes from our database reflect the lebanese cooking tradition that Greg works in. They are not direct reproductions of Greg's copyrighted recipes, but traditional dishes inspired by the same culinary heritage.
Frequently Asked Questions about Greg Malouf
Why are Greg Malouf's cookbooks important?
Malouf's cookbooks — Saha, Saraban, Arabesque, Turquoise, New Feast — are widely regarded as the leading English-language references on modern Middle Eastern cuisine. They combine careful regional research, accurate technique and beautifully written context, and have won multiple international cookbook awards.
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