Paris Picnic Club: Shaheen Peerbhai partners with chef Jennie Levitt to release her first cookbook

Purple Foodie’s Shaheen Peerbhai has partnered with chef Jennie Levitt to release Paris Picnic Club, her first cookbook, next month. We caught up with her to find out more about it.  

Tell us about the title. Why did you and Jennie decide to call it that?

Actually, the original title of the book was Friday Lunches, named after the year-long pop-up that was the inspiration for it. Once we started pitching to publishers, we decided that Paris Picnic Club better encompassed the overall feel of the book while still alluding to community that was the reason behind it. Although not all the recipes are meant to be enjoyed as literal picnics, the idea is that they serve as inspiration to gather your near and dear ones for a great meal.

Why the focus on Parisian fare?

We were living in Paris, were surrounded by amazing produce, a farm next door, a baker who would come and deliver hot baguettes. Paris was the perfect incubator for our minds full of ideas and the dream of cooking in France.

How did you and Jennie end up collaborating for this book?

We met while Jennie was attending business school with my husband and I was just starting my first semester at Le Cordon Bleu. We had found each other over a common love of food (Jennie is also a chef) before arriving in France and we became instant friends over a plate of cupcakes. When we both left Paris after our studies, we knew we wanted to continue working together and the idea for Paris Picnic Club, the Friday Lunches cookbook, was born!

What is the USP of this cookbook?

We think it is truly unique in giving readers a glimpse of the modern culinary scene in the world’s most beloved food city. What Jennie and I both experienced, and what inspired us to create this cookbook, is the incredible diversity of cuisines and ingredients that co-exist in the City of Lights. We’ve brought them together in creative ways to make truly exceptional meals worthy of a feast among friends or family or strangers. What’s best is that these ingredients and cultures define most modern cities these days and so the book can easily be adapted to wherever you’re living.

Why did you choose to do illustrations instead of using the pictures of the dish?

Since there are so many cookbooks with descriptive photos out there, we wanted to do something a little different. The illustrations echo our experience of cooking in France, where there is a huge focus on high quality ingredients and the manner in which they come together depends on the style and experiences of the cook who’s making it. Our favourite thing is to see all the picture and videos that people send in, illustrating how the recipes have come to life in the lives of other cooks.

Your ideal picnic basket should have…

A refreshing salad, one of our tartines made into a sandwich with some good bread, strawberries and a pitcher of something chilled!