BROADCASTS.com

Naizar Mubarak is a native Sri Lankan who used his love for cooking to find success in the Bay Area\u2019s culinary world. Mubarak began his career at the age of 19 working at the Galle Dutch Fort, a UNIESCO World Heritage site in Sri Lanka. He also worked for American actor and writer Charles G. Hulls, learning from Hull\u2019s private chef how to prepare food for European customers. After emigrating to the Bay Area in 2004, Mubarak worked his way through the ranks at various Oakland restaurants such as Marzano, Garibaldi\u2019s, Bocanova, and the Duck Club. Today, he is the Executive Chef at SF\u2019s favorite Florio Bar & Cafe.\n\nMubarak\u2019s story would be incomplete without the influence of his mother\u2019s recipes and his native culture\u2019s culinary traditions. In Sri Lanka, everything is done manually and made with fresh, living ingredients. He learned from a young age to use everything he had, and even knew how to mix his own spices. With his mother\u2019s famous recipes and a love of experimenting with different flavors, Naizar gained an edge in the Western culinary world. Throughout the years, he\u2019s been praised for his creativity in blending different cultural flavors. At his restaurant Florio, he makes unique French and Italian dishes with Sri Lankan spices\u2013\u2013 recipes that he has become widely known for. Naizar\u2019s cooking is elegant, innovative, and satisfying. To this day, his customers can still be heard exclaiming: \u201cYumm! What is this?\u201d\n\nMeet Naizar Mubarak!