Sameh Wadi

Chef Sameh Wadi is known throughout the Twin Cities, not only for serving delicious and unforgettably vibrant flavors at his flagship restaurant Saffron, but also for creating Spice Trail, a brilliant line of spice blends. Wadi brought his distinct style of cuisine to the streets in 2010 with the debut of the insanely popular World Street Kitchen, a mobile food truck. In late 2012, he expanded the World Street Kitchen brand by opening a brick and mortar restaurant in Minneapolis. Wadi was also a contender on the Food Network show “Iron Chef America”. Not only was he the first Minnesotan chef to compete on the show, at 25 years old, he was also the youngest at the time. Wadi has been a semi-finalist for the James Beard award in the categories of “Rising Star” and “Best Chef Midwest” numerous times. His first book, The New Mediterranean Table: Modern and Rustic Recipes Inspired by Traditions Spanning Three Continents, was published in April 2015.