FOOD
A LONG LIFE
REFLECTED
IN SOFREH’S
DISHES
story by CRAIG HUBERT
32
Nasim Alikhani at Sofreh. Photo by Christopher Testani.
By the time Nasim Alikhani opened Sofreh, her highly
acclaimed restaurant in Prospect Heights that began service
in June 2018, she was 59 years old. In her own words,
everything up to that point had been part of “a really long
life.” She’s not joking. Her background reads like that of
multiple people: She went to law school in her native Iran,
where she helped cook for her classmates in the cafeteria
during the Iranian revolution. Alikhani came to America
to continue studying law and eventually got married and
had twins. She operated a print shop in Manhattan for
eight years, and in her spare time cooked for Iranian families
for weddings and events. She started a foundation in
Iran, ran marathons, and took up hiking and mountain
climbing. On most mornings still, she goes for a swim.
She was also preparing for her future life as a restaurateur.
For a long time, food was always in the back of her
mind. “Cooking was the only thing that kept me grounded,
kept me calm, and kept me really happy,” she says.
The dishes at the Persian restaurant were culled from
many sources and perfected over a long period of time.
“Not only did I open the restaurant and manage to get
my dream out of the way, and really live my dream, but I
also have grown and am growing continuously every day
because of the numerous challenges that come my way.”
The restaurant she always wanted now exists. But that
doesn’t mean she’s not still looking ahead. She’s planned
out an evolution of the menu for the next three to four
years; afterward, she will move on to something else. “I’m
done,” she says matter of factly. “That doesn’t mean Sofreh
is going anywhere. I’ll find a successor. But Nasim is done.”
I understand the process of opening Sofreh took a long time.
The whole construction took about six years, from the
permit point. During the six years, I really, really threw
myself into cooking. I had no other projects. Kids were
in college. I was getting ready, so I was testing recipes,
throwing parties with the sole purpose of feeding people
and getting their opinion. Also, during this time, I went
to culinary school just for the heck of it, to see what the
professionals do. This was the most useless money I’ve ever
spent in my life. But it was a good experience because I have
the credential and I saw what was done at a typical culinary
school. But I didn’t have to spend that kind of money.
What were you trying to do that was different?
I always wanted to do home cooking. I’m very selective
about what I put in my stomach and in my body. For all
these years, I was disappointed; food was becoming more
and more of an industry, more corporate.
What has surprised you the most about running a restaurant?
One thing is that I really had no idea about the industry
and the kind of people that are attracted to this industry.
I’m talking about those who spend their hours sweating
next to the heat and fire. Most of them, from what I’ve
seen, they’re extremely passionate people. They love what
they do but it’s a brutal job, and it’s a hard,lonely job. That
makes it, a certain kind of people who also don’t know
how to communicate any other way than through their
art. That is the language I didn’t know. Because of my past
life—as a mother, as a business owner, as a daughter, as a
lawyer—I have a lot of skills outside of cooking. Cooking
was my passion; it wasn’t my entire life or my entire
livelihood. Being faced with very young people—and they
are all very young—with limited life experience, all they
know is their craft. It was a big shock and hard to handle.
Do you still have time to cook at home?
You can’t change so many years of how you lived your
life. The restaurant is closed on Monday nights, so on
those nights, my kids come home or occasionally I have
friends over. My home is my sanctuary first, Sofreh comes
second. I need home cooked meals.
FOOD
A LONG LIFE
REFLECTED
IN SOFREH’S
DISHES
story by CRAIG HUBERT
32
Nasim Alikhani at Sofreh. Photo by Christopher Testani.
By the time Nasim Alikhani opened Sofreh, her highly
acclaimed restaurant in Prospect Heights that began service
in June 2018, she was 59 years old. In her own words,
everything up to that point had been part of “a really long
life.” She’s not joking. Her background reads like that of
multiple people: She went to law school in her native Iran,
where she helped cook for her classmates in the cafeteria
during the Iranian revolution. Alikhani came to America
to continue studying law and eventually got married and
had twins. She operated a print shop in Manhattan for
eight years, and in her spare time cooked for Iranian families
for weddings and events. She started a foundation in
Iran, ran marathons, and took up hiking and mountain
climbing. On most mornings still, she goes for a swim.
She was also preparing for her future life as a restaurateur.
For a long time, food was always in the back of her
mind. “Cooking was the only thing that kept me grounded,
kept me calm, and kept me really happy,” she says.
The dishes at the Persian restaurant were culled from
many sources and perfected over a long period of time.
“Not only did I open the restaurant and manage to get
my dream out of the way, and really live my dream, but I
also have grown and am growing continuously every day
because of the numerous challenges that come my way.”
The restaurant she always wanted now exists. But that
doesn’t mean she’s not still looking ahead. She’s planned
out an evolution of the menu for the next three to four
years; afterward, she will move on to something else. “I’m
done,” she says matter of factly. “That doesn’t mean Sofreh
is going anywhere. I’ll find a successor. But Nasim is done.”
I understand the process of opening Sofreh took a long time.
The whole construction took about six years, from the
permit point. During the six years, I really, really threw
myself into cooking. I had no other projects. Kids were
in college. I was getting ready, so I was testing recipes,
throwing parties with the sole purpose of feeding people
and getting their opinion. Also, during this time, I went
to culinary school just for the heck of it, to see what the
professionals do. This was the most useless money I’ve ever
spent in my life. But it was a good experience because I have
the credential and I saw what was done at a typical culinary
school. But I didn’t have to spend that kind of money.
What were you trying to do that was different?
I always wanted to do home cooking. I’m very selective
about what I put in my stomach and in my body. For all
these years, I was disappointed; food was becoming more
and more of an industry, more corporate.
What has surprised you the most about running a restaurant?
One thing is that I really had no idea about the industry
and the kind of people that are attracted to this industry.
I’m talking about those who spend their hours sweating
next to the heat and fire. Most of them, from what I’ve
seen, they’re extremely passionate people. They love what
they do but it’s a brutal job, and it’s a hard, lonely job. That
makes it, a certain kind of people who also don’t know
how to communicate any other way than through their
art. That is the language I didn’t know. Because of my past
life—as a mother, as a business owner, as a daughter, as a
lawyer—I have a lot of skills outside of cooking. Cooking
was my passion; it wasn’t my entire life or my entire
livelihood. Being faced with very young people—and they
are all very young—with limited life experience, all they
know is their craft. It was a big shock and hard to handle.
Do you still have time to cook at home?
You can’t change so many years of how you lived your
life. The restaurant is closed on Monday nights, so on
those nights, my kids come home or occasionally I have
friends over. My home is my sanctuary first, Sofreh comes
second. I need home cooked meals.