NBSV 230: Michelin stars with zero animal products: Zizi Hattab's vegan revolution in Zürich

Zineb "Zizi" Hattab set out to open a restaurant, not make history. A month before signing the lease, the trained chef had a change of heart and decided her new venture, KLE, would be fully plant-based. Today KLE holds both a green and a red Michelin star, making it the first vegan restaurant in Switzerland to do so. Zizi has since opened two more concepts on the same Zurich street: DAR, inspired by her Moroccan and Spanish roots, and COR, a wine and pinchos bar. In this episode, I speak with Zizi about the engineering background that led her to veganism, how her team builds trust with skeptical guests, and why she refuses to let go of dishes like traditional harira soup just because they're now plant-based. We dig into food and identity, the industry-driven stereotypes around vegan food, and the many traditional cuisines around the world that are plant-based by default. Zizi also shares a preview of her new cookbook, Vegan Vegan!, out in September.