TONY BAROUD

TV presenter and host, Tony Baroud, has been in the limelight for 25 years, but it’s only now that he faces his toughest challenge yet – the pressures of Le Phénicien’s kitchen and T&F’s burning questions

TONY WAS READY FOR ANYTHING WE THREW AT HIM

We were joined by the owner/managing partner of Le Phénicien, Youssef Hadid, Tony would be cooking a warm shrimp and goat’s cheese salad, guided by the restaurant’s chef, Ibrahim Henawi.

What is your favorite cuisine?

I love Mexican food. I always visit a place called Amarilla in Mar Mikhael.

What’s your typical breakfast?

I have light cheese with turkey on oat bread, heated, with Nescafe and labneh. I always have to have labneh. I love zaatar manouche as well.

Do you cook for your kids?

I make pasta or steak – the food that they love. I discovered in life that everything is a habit. Since my mom used to cook a you cook a certain dish, I end up cooking the dame for my kids.

« THE TWO MOST PRECIOUS THINGS IN MY LIFE ARE MY DAUGHTERS »

What was your first show?

“Abeb ya Shabeb” on local Lebanese TV. It was a young and dynamic musical show.

Favorite sports team?

For football, it’s Real Madrid. In the NBA, it’s the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Describe your ideal woman

She needs to be smart and spontaneous. She has to be able to go inside your head and know what you want and I should be able to know what she wants. Small things make a difference. It’s also about balance; not going to the extreme. She has to be more than pretty. This fades.