Interview with Osi Lankri
Interview with Osi Lankri
Inspiring interview with Osi Lankri, owner of a catering business in the south, all about spices, local produce and her love of Amba.
" When I miss someone, I cook the dishes they used to serve us, or that we would cook and eat together"
Osi Lankri is 55 years old and mother of three, who is the proud business owner of a catering company for over 15 years. She was born and raised in Ofakim in the south of Israel, growing up in a very large and close nit family. Food has always taken a very significant part of her life. Recently, she put out a cook book honoring the recipes she has learned from her closest family members who are no longer with us today.
Osi, can you tell us about your catering business and how it all started?
15 years ago, I started my home-based catering company because I wanted to earn an income while being available for my three children. When they were young, I didn't want to miss out on their upbringing. There was a program in Ofakim that encouraged women to start businesses from their homes, and I joined, learning how to run a catering company right from my house. I have always loved hosting and cooking, and my home has become a hub of activity. My cousin once remarked that my house is like Abraham's tent, with people coming and going throughout the day. My family is deeply involved—my husband and now-grown children all pitch in. I absolutely love it.
What is one of the cornerstones of your business?
One of the things that I realized is very important for me is to shop locally and hire locally. I live in the south, and even though it takes longer to go to the Kibbutzim in the Gaza envelope, and even though it is more expensive, I always purchase as much local produce as possible. I take a trip further south every Sunday and restock for my catering business. I hire locally and then my business thrives, and my friends and neighbors thrive with me. This is something that I think could happen in the north as well. I’ve been following the GCI’s journey since the very beginning. I remember when people started talking about this idea, I was feeding a JNF group, hosting them in my house and I thought this is such a great plan. The north is an incredible place, filled with so much potential and so many culinary opportunities, I am so excited to see how this all comes together. I am sure the GCI will take full advantage of the produce and crops growing in the north and will create such incredible dishes there. It may not be the cheapest option, it may not be the easiest to work farm to table, but I believe it is the most correct way to operate. Just like my experience in the south, giving opportunities to the locals, helping bring more tourism and residents to live there, that’s the most important thing the GCI can offer to the northern communities. And as for the students who will study there, I hope they fall in love with spices as much as I love them.
What do you think is important for culinarians to learn, when it comes to getting their education?
I am self-taught. My father was from Iraq and my mother from Morrocco, and the spices I use are a fine blend of those two cultures. My neighbor across the road was Tunisian and another was from Bulgaria, and all of these wonderful people let me come into their kitchens and learn. I would go to all the farmer's markets with my father when I was young. I touched, smelled and tasted everything, until I figured out what is what. I love taking spices and creating a dish with them. I don’t work with a menu, I work with what I have and every time I create different things. I cook from the heart, and that is why I have been able to do this for all these years. With everything there is out there to learn, I believe that the more you can experience firsthand for yourself, the better.
One of the pillars at the GCI is storytelling, where does that tie in for you?
Food for me is memories. It’s a way to remember our loved ones, to feel nostalgic about the good times. When I miss someone, I cook the dishes they used to serve us, or that we would cook and eat together. I smell those dishes and that’s how I feel that they are close. When I was a little girl, every Saturday night we would all meet up at my aunts house and my grandmother would make everyone popcorn. Until today, anytime I smell popcorn, I remember my grandmother so fondly. To me food has the ability to tell the story of a person, a time, a memory. Every time we prepare a dish, it is an opportunity to bring those memories back to life.
Fun culinary fact about me:
I am all about spices and Amba (A blend of unripe green mango, white vinegar, and spices) is my absolute favorite. I use it in EVERYTHING. I drive all the way to Tel Aviv to buy Amba in the markets there. And when friends from abroad come visit me in Israel, I give them a spice blend I make on my own, that of course has Amba in it. I call it the Osi special, and I don’t give up my secret. I blend my spices without fear. I think a lot of people are scared of spices and don’t know how to use them. But spices make or break a dish, you just need to jump in at the deep end and swim.
Feel free to check out Osi’s book here.