Sami Tamimi is the co-founder of Ottolenghi, a group of London restaurants that have had global reach through the writings of his business partner, the cook, Yotam Ottolenghi. Tamimi is Palestinian and was born and brought up in East Jerusalem, while Ottolenghi is Israeli and was brought up in West Jerusalem.

Although he moved to London in his late twenties, Tamimi has always championed the food of his homeland and, with Ottolenghi, has been hugely influential in popularising contemporary Middle Eastern and Palestinian cuisine both in Britian and globally.