Chef Faiçal Zahraoui
Known by his initials FZ, Faiçal Zahraoui is a Moroccan chef renowned for his unique reinterpretation of Moroccan Fusion cuisine. Rooted in locally sourced, forgotten ingredients, Zahraoui’s cuisine is an imaginative cross-pollination of ancient cooking techniques, such as fermentation and dehydration, Morocco’s vibrant street art scene and his natural ability to reinvent familiar, fresh produce into unique signature flavors. In 2022, Faiçal Zahraoui represented Team Morocco at the prestigious Bocuse d’Or Africa, where he won the silver medal, qualifying Morocco to the final to be held in Lyon in January 2023.
Zahraoui’s culinary story begins with his mother, who has enkindled his passion for cooking from a young age. He vividly remembers following her for hours from stall to stall at Rabat’s farmers’ markets, as she touched, smelled and picked her ripe tomatoes, fresh mint and mouth-watering sardines. Today he continues these rituals to remind himself of the source of his inspiration.
Fresh out of school, Zahraoui ventured into France to explore the world of French gastronomy, working with Michel Portos in the Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Saint-James, in Bouliac. Inspired by the “adrenaline rush” he discovered in the kitchen, Zahraoui pursued chef educa+on in France and Morocco, working alongside world- renowned chefs.
In 2020, Faiçal co-founded Azalai Urban Souk. In the heart of downtown Marrakech, Azalai exudes warmth and in+macy. The menu blends emo+ons, art and crea+vity into an elevated take on modern Moroccan cuisine. Zahraoui’s mission is to surprise the palate: every dish is a full sensorial experience with a story, from a striking visual narra+ve to s+mula+ng textures and unparalleled taste.
Hailed as the Genius of Moroccan Cuisine, FZ never se?les for the status quo, combining passion, art and emo+on to con+nually push Moroccan cuisine into the new era.
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Awards, achievements and features:
2023 Finalist at the Bocuse d’or World 2023
(which includes the 24 best chefs in the world)
2022 Silver Medal Bocuse d’or Africa - Morocco
2020 Disciple d’escoffier - February the 29th, 2020
2019 Silver medal at the World championship embassy chef in Washington DC
2019 Semi Finalist at the top chef Arabic World TV show
2018 Best dinner “goût de France”
2018 Best dressed embassy chef - Washington DC
2017 Best young talent - Gault Millaut
2017 Creativity prize and 1st place - Patissier francophone competition - China
2017 1st place at the World championship embassy chef
2016 Best young talent - Gault Millaut
2014 Gold medal at the Hospitality world championship - Dubaï
2014 World’s best taste Prize at the interna+onal festival - Malaysia
2012 Finalist of the first Bocuse D’or Africa edition