Ranaria serves Algerian-nomadic cuisine, using only natural products. Laurent Med Khellout is the chef and owner of rhet restaurant and catering company Raïnaraï.
‘Once you have tasted it, it never leaves you, that is the power of nomadic cuisine. I have always been a nomad, a traveller, a free man in life. I was always outdoors and could sleep anywhere. I come from Algeria, from a family of nomads,’ Laurent explains. ‘Nomadic to me means freedom, a loose style of living and therefore of cooking, where adventurousness and quality are paramount.’
‘When I was thinking about the name I wanted to give my restaurant, I woke up with a dream image from my childhood. I saw my uncle on a horse singing ‘Rairairai’. Rai is an Algerian music movement that traces 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 person singing’s own opinion, and to adding a personal note. For me, it stands for independence. Sing with your feelings and you will get where you want to go. That’s what Raïnaraï means. That’s how it started.’
Link to the website of Raïnaraï.