The team hopes to release the cookbook this summer.
Owned and operated by married couple Nicola and Dvir, Mezze is a well-loved Middle Eastern food store, café and deli in Tramore. Known for its Blas na hÉireann award-winning products - we love the Lavosh Flatbreads - the company was founded when the couple settled in Ireland after almost a decade of living in Dvir's homeland of Israel. Originally, Mezze was a food stall that popped up at various farmers' markets and festivals before the couple made the leap to open their first bricks-and-mortar store in 2019.
Although the pandemic slowed their plans slightly, the business is thriving and runs as a café, deli and shop during the day, with cookery classes and events held in the space at night. Now, Nicola and Dvir have announced plans to release their first cookbook this summer.
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With this book, Nicola and Dvir hope to share recipes and menus that they have enjoyed with family in both Israel and Ireland, as well as with friends and customers in Tramore. The cookbook will show readers just how easy it is to create delicious Middle Eastern food, whether it's for an intimate dinner, delicious feast, party or picnic.
The book will be filled with gorgeous images by Monika Coghlan (@pepperazzi_ie), supplemented by shots from Matthew Reilly who has been photographing the couple since the business' inception. Kristin Jensen, founder of new publishing house Nine Bean Rows and crowdfunded project Blasta Books, will be working with the couple on the recipes, while Maytal Amir, who designed the Lavosh Flatbread packaging, will be overseeing the book's design and illustration.
For this project, the couple has decided to self-publish, stating that they have always been able to achieve their desired results when they self-manage projects, so are hoping to reproduce the same results with this cookbook.
To help bring this cookbook to life, Nicola and Dvir decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign on February 9, with a fundraising goal of €13,000. At the time of writing, €5,478 had been pledged in just four days. While backers can support the project with just donations, Nicola and Dvir have also installed a range of pledge options that vary depending on amount committed, including digital or signed copies of the book, merch, a Middle Eastern feast and much more.
To see more about the campaign or support the Kickstarter, click here. The campaign will close at midnight on February 28. Click here for more from Mezze.
