Nasim Alikhani

Nasim Alikhani was born and raised in Isfahan, Iran, and is the executive chef and owner of the Persian restaurant Sofreh in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Her cooking has traversed a lifetime: from helping her mother in the kitchen as a child, to studying to become a judge, to her arrival in New York City following the 1979 Iranian revolution and later in her marriage and the raising of her twins. Nasim’s journey in the kitchen has been one of a prolific home cook, expressing her life’s calling to nourish others through the foods and the deep warmth of Persian culture. With each return visit to her native Iran, Nasim deepened her connection to the ancestral Iranian recipes of the women in her family and circle of friends and neighbors. While raising her children in New York City, Nasim undertook massive catering projects for her kids’ schools, fund-raising events and homeless shelters. 

By the time she opened her first restaurant, Sofreh, in June 2018, she had spent more than two decades cooking, honing and dreaming of sharing the extraordinary flavors, traditions and communal spirit of Persian home cooking with the world. 

In 2023, Nasim was named a James Beard Foundation Finalist for Best Chef: New York State, and was invited to cook for President Biden, the First Lady and their guests at a special Nowruz reception at the White House. Sofreh: A Contemporary Approach to Classic Persian Cuisine, is her debut cookbook.