A CHEF'S GUIDE TO… Trapani, Italy

Food and life are entwined in this humble port region. After a decade in her adopted home town, chef ANISSA HELOU shares her best finds.

- ANISSA HELOU

Trapani might be part of Italy, but for chef Anissa Helou, the port town in Sicily’s northwest evoked vivid memories of growing up in Lebanon and Syria: so much so that the James Beard-winning author of Feast: Food of the Islamic World relocated there from London. For almost a decade, Helou has immersed herself in Sicilian life, adding a rich new layer to her understanding of Mediterranean and Islamic food cultures. In Helou’s Trapani, food is about family, regional traditions and an intimate relationship with both land and sea. It’s also a place where a little local knowledge goes a long way.

AN HONEST MEAL OUT

Eating out in Sicily feels like it hasn’t been touched by globalisation. It’s often very good, modest and honest food, and in the good places it can be excellent. You may have mediocre places, but nothing is particularly bad. The colours of the plates are often not that pretty, but the food is very tasty, at least in the places I choose to go to. Most are run by families, like Osteria La Dolce Vita, my favourite restaurant in Trapani. The husband is in the front-of-house and runs the business, while the wife cooks in the kitchen. She’s quite glamorous in a sort of Trapanese way. It’s funny, because she’s not very happy to be in the kitchen, but she cooks very good food presented in a limited menu.

TRAPANI’S BEST CHEF