At our pasta potluck, Celine worked her magic, creating a pasta dish that was somehow both simple and completely indulgent—silky lemon sauce, twirled with perfectly cooked pasta, topped with a decadent spoonful of her signature caviar. Pure perfection.
In The Kitchen with Celine Yousefzadeh
In The Kitchen
Captured by Kate Owen
Celine Yousefzadeh, or "CY" as we like to call her, is the visionary behind CY Kitchen, a culinary venture focused on bespoke caviar services, custom gifting, and curated events. With a beautiful blend of Italian influences and her Persian roots, Celine brings an artful approach to everything she creates. Under the CY Kitchen umbrella, CYK Caviar delivers personalized caviar tins and tailored culinary experiences for both brands and individuals. Some of her standout collaborations include working with Marlo Laz Jewelry, Studio Giancarlo Valle, and of course, PORTA!
Q&A with Celine
1. Can you speak a little to the pasta that you brought to the potluck?
I brought a simple dish from southern Italy-- Pasta al Limone. I believe it is magically transformed when you add Caviar to it. It's one of my favorite ways of all time to enjoy caviar because I find you can really taste the balance of the lemon and the caviar.
2. What do you think it is about pasta that makes it so universally loved?
Pasta is comforting, approachable, and endlessly versatile. Almost every culture has its own version of it, so I find it to be familiar yet exciting every time! I loved seeing what pasta dish everyone brought to the dinner and what it meant to each of them.
3. We touched on this a bit at dinner—what’s the most unexpected caviar pairing you’ve tried that actually worked, and what’s the strangest one that didn’t?
I think I mentioned I was sort of dared to try bananas and caviar... that definitely was the worst! As for the best, I would say I was pretty surprised by how delicious Basque cheesecake and caviar was. The contrast of savory and sweet worked brilliantly. I'll also mention a less strange but totally delicious bite is a caviar hand roll - crispy seaweed, sushi rice, and caviar. That's it.
Recipe:
Spaghetti al Limone with CYK Caviar
Ingredients:
Butter
Olive Oil
Lemon
Parmigiano
Chives
Caviar
To make:
Cook dried Spaghetti in salted water until al dente, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water before drainingIn a skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter (you can go as light or as heavy as you want but I find that it really doesn't need much!) add lemon zest and lemon juiceAdd in the spaghetti and some pasta water and mix together Stir in 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, adding more pasta water as needed to create a glossy sauceFinish with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly chopped chives, salt and black pepper to taste and of course a heavy dollop of caviar, ideally CYK Golden Ossetra.
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About In The Kitchen With
PORTA offers a uniquely honed edit of homewares from Europe bringing unique character and thoughtful design to your table and home in a way that simultaneously celebrates tradition while embracing contemporary style. Through our travels, interests and obsessions we bring storied traditions and histories to light so they can be engaged with in new ways. Many chefs explore and play with similar interests and ideas through food, and in our seriesIn The Kitchen With…we hope to highlight the joy and creativity that happens from stove to table by inviting chefs to whip up something wonderful on (or accessorized by) PORTA products. Each chef is generously sharing their recipe with us so that we can all recreate the magic at home, and answering a few questions about their love of food and approach to bringing people together around the table.