Rainara

Laurent Med Khellout is chef and owner of restaurant and catering company Raïnaraï. There, he serves Algerian nomadic cuisine made exclusively from natural products. "Once you've tasted it, you'll never forget it; that's the power of nomadic cuisine. I've always been a nomad, a traveler, a free man in life. I was always outside and could sleep anywhere. I come from Algeria, from a family of nomads. For me, nomadic means freedom, a relaxed lifestyle and therefore also a relaxed approach to cooking, where adventure and quality are paramount. When I was thinking about what to call my restaurant, I woke up with a dream image from my childhood. I saw my uncle singing 'Rairairai' on a horse. Rai is an Algerian music genre that harks back to the traditional music culture of the Bedouins, who comment on the news of the day while singing. The word Rai literally means 'I think': it refers to the singer's own opinion and to adding a personal touch. For me, it stands for independence. Sing with your feelings, and you'll get where you want to go. That's what Raïnaraï means. That's how it started.