A year after dining with Biden, Naples chef makes dinner for vice president
Business Observer FL
Naples Chef Asif Syed, the owner and executive chef of contemporary Indian cuisine restaurant 21 Spices, can check another big-time dinner off his menu: He recently prepared dinner for Vice President Kamala Harris; her husband, Douglas Emhoff; and guests.
The milestone event comes a little more than a year after Syed was invited to a White House event marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr. Syed attend that event May 2, 2022, saying at the time it was “an extraordinary privilege and honor to be part of the Eid al-Fitr reception.”
The most recent dinner, according to a statement, took place July 11 at the vice president’s residence in Washington, D.C. It was in celebration of the Muslim holiday Eid-Al-Adha, also known as the Feast of the Sacrifice, “which is one of the most important events in the Islamic calendar,” the release adds.
Syed was invited to create an exclusive menu for the dinner, put on in collaboration with the El-Hibri Foundation. In addition to Harris and Emhoff, several dignitaries and Muslim community leaders attended the event, the release states.
“I am very grateful that the Vice President, her husband and the El-Hibri Foundation gave me the opportunity to not only participate at this event but also be a culinary ambassador for Hyderabadi cuisine,” Syed says in the release. “It is my greatest pleasure to highlight our culinary heritage and connect people through the love of food.”
An Indian-American chef, Syed has been living and working in Southwest Florida for more than 20 years, according to the 21 Spices website. He has appeared on several nationally TV shows, including the fifth season of “Guy’s Grocery Games,” “Cutthroat Kitchen with Alton Thomas” in 2016 and “Beat Bobby Flay” in season 17. On “Beat Bobby Flay” he was celebrated for beating Bobby Flay in a culinary showdown, with his signature dish of tandoori chicken. On Nov. 16, 2019, he successfully conducted a dinner at the James Beard House called “Innovative Indian Cuisine by Chef Asif,” making him a James Beard featured chef.