Kebab is always available with a choice of beef, chicken or lamb. He moved on from La Boheme to an undisclosed kebab shop in Tamachi, where he honed his own unique marinades and recipes, before finally landing at Cleopatra Kebab in Shibuya. He wanted to cook the food he knew from home the real way to connect with his Tunisian roots and prove that kebab and falafel have a well-deserved place in Tokyo’s food scene. He just couldn’t connect with the Italian cuisine at La Boheme.
TOKYO SCHOOL LIFE TWITCH PROFESSIONAL
While he himself thrived in the exciting, fast-paced atmosphere of the professional kitchen - even seizing the opportunity to begin experimenting with his own recipes - there was still something missing. “I’ve always loved cooking, but I just really needed a job, man,” he says of his career pivot, casually leaning across the counter on a late summer night as a glistening cylinder of marinated chicken thighs roasts away in the background.įour years ago, Khalifa started working as a cook at Italian restaurant La Boheme in the upscale neighborhood of Shirokanedai. After moving to Japan from Tunisia eight years ago and working various jobs outside of the culinary field, he found himself in need of a change of pace and a new career.