q&a with chef sabrine
Meet Chef Sabrine, the soul of West Eldar, a supper club where Algerian heritage, memory, and craft come alive. Her journey began in her mother’s kitchen, learning to cook by sight, smell, and instinct, lessons that shaped the artistry in her food today.
West Eldar, named after the heart of the home in old Algerian houses, is about gathering, belonging, and sharing. Through chorba with bourek, summer vegetables, and dishes infused with olive oil as heritage, Sabrine invites guests to taste Algeria’s warmth and carry a piece of it home.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself and what first drew you to the kitchen.
My love for cooking started when I was a teenager, I used to live in a very small town with limited choices in food, so I had to cook the meals that I watch my favorite characters on TV or on anime eat, my mother noticed my interest in cooking so she started giving me tips and included me in more complex Algerian dishes, what I really loved about the way my mother taught me to cook, she never gave me the exact ingredients, she taught me how to measure with my eyes and my nose, it made the whole experience more artistic and passionate
Q: What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you outside the kitchen?
People might be surprised to know that I have a master degree in Physics, somehow understanding the science behind pressure, combustion and the chemical process of some foods makes it easy for me to manage inside the kitchen.
Q: West Eldar is such a poetic name. What does it represent to you now, and how has its meaning evolved since you first launched?
West Eldar is an Algerian term we use it to refer to the middle house where the old houses used to have the living room in the middle and all the rooms surrounding it, while the open sealing provides light and air, West Eldar represent the gathering, the feeling of having access to the heart of the house, feeling close to everybody around you.
Q: Your menu introduces many guests to Algerian cuisine for the first time. What dish feels like the perfect introduction, and why?
I would say chorba with bourek, this combo represents the richness, boldness, warmth and generosity of the Algerian cuisine and mostly the uniqueness of it.
Q: You describe your cooking as rooted in memory but shaped by travel. What’s a place you’ve visited that changed the way you think about food or hosting?
The first time I visited Bali I was amazed by their food, simple dishes yet very flavorful, it wasn’t just about the ingredients or the skills but mostly about the love and purity of their souls that they put in their dishes, no matter how many times they make the dish they make it perfect every time, I loved how their dishes made me so present and intentional about every bite, that was the reason I decided to make people feel the same through my food and stories.
Q: Much like music or scent, food can transport. What emotion or memory do you hope your guests leave with after a West Eldar dinner?
I really hope my guests would leave feeling like they have piece from Algeria inside their hearts and that they felt they belong into West Eldar.
Q: What’s a lesson you learned in your mother’s or grandmother’s kitchen that still guides the way you cook today?
My mother taught me two things, 1. how to know the amount of salt in the food with just smelling it, 2. time is the best flavor you can give to a dish.
Q: Which ingredient always finds its way into your dishes, no matter the theme or season? What does it represent to you?
Olive oil, because for me and for my culture olive oil is not just a cooking oil, it’s a medicine, a little gift from grandmother’s old cupboard, it’s a pride we take in the beautiful mountains of Algeria.
Q: You often blend tradition with gentle innovation. How do you decide when to stay classic, and when to reinterpret?
The dish decides, I experiment a lot and some dishes refuse to revisited while most of the dishes allow me to add my twist.
Q: What’s a small detail, on the plate or off, that you believe makes a dinner truly special?
I feel like the question I prepare for every theme make the experience more meaningful and brings people together in a deep yet light way.
Q: If you could invite any three people to your West Eldar table, who would they be and what would you serve them?
‘My mother, Gorden Ramsey, Samin Nosrat’, I would make a traditional couscous, Rechta, Chakhchoukha, chorna, bourek, kalb elouz, Tomina.
Q: Finally, what’s next for West Eldar? Any new stories or flavors you’re excited to bring to the table soon?
My new menu olive to mint and all the green in between is a menu that represents the Algerian summer the only season that is very similar to Mediterranean (Italian, Greek, Spanish) cuisine, where I like to celebrate all the beautiful vegetables that summer blesses us with.
