“At Le Bernardin, we only get our spices from Lior. His blends are like none other, and they give so much inspiration to our creative process at the restaurant. Lior is a true magician with spices.”

- Eric Ripert

Lior Lev Sercarz is the guy the top chefs in New York have on speed dial. Former chef Sercarz creates customized spices for Michelin-starred chefs like Daniel Boulud, Eric Ripert, and Paul Liebrandt to use in their restaurants. This week, Sercarz releases his first cookbook, The Art of Blending. The book tells the stories behind Lior’s 41 different spice blends and offers 41 recipes associated with each blend. The recipes are courtesy of his famous clients, which include chefs Boulud, Ripert, Michelle Bernstein, Marc Forgione and Paul Kahan; Parisian baker Apollonia Poilâne and Top Chef’s Gail Simmons.

Right now, the book is available in a limited release until January or you can download the e-book.

Buy the book from Lior or the e-book from Vook / Amazon.

We asked Lior where he goes in New York for a sugar fix and spices.

Lior Lev Sercarz’s 6 Things... Sugar & Spice

Dominique Ansel

Dominque Ansel worked at Boulud before opening his store. He is really showing French pastries as they are - macaroons, éclairs. But he’s also showcasing things like Kouign Amann, which is a baked good from Brittany folded with butter and sugar and baked until it becomes super crispy on the outside, yet really moist on the inside. He also introduces the Sablé Breton, things that in France people know of, but here they don’t necessarily. They have an outdoor space where you can spend an hour having coffee and eating something.

[See details.]

Minamoto Kitchoan

It's a Japanese bakery and I love it, it’s beautiful. Go for red bean paste desserts and their soy crackers. They change their menu often.

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Il Laboratorio Del Gelato

It’s about what’s in season. So if the mangoes are ripe, there’s great mango ice cream. You come next week, there’s nothing. I think that I really like that approach and I love going here.

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Parm

I like to sit at the bar and have their frozen ice cream cake for dessert. It’s so good. It will remind you of the frozen ice cream cakes from the 70s and ‘80s. You don’t have to be ashamed anymore that you want to have meatballs and then an ice cream cake.

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Barbounia

Nice spices and Israeli cuisine. It doesn’t necessarily reflect Israeli restaurants, because of the décor and the vibe. But go for the food, they really do great food.

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Kalustyan's

There are about 10,000 items in this spice store, which is insane. The second floor has a tiny restaurant where you could get pita bread and falafel and they make phenomenal rice dishes and everything is cooked by the staff who work there. It’s one of the best lunch bargains in the city. I think it’s a phenomenal mini-restaurant within that store.

[See details.]

More Recs

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Details

Details of spice master Lior Lev Sercarz’s recommendations for where to eat and shop in New York, NY.

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