Pastry chef Fariba Nafissi prides herself on crafting pastries and cookies that delight the senses. And we're not just talking about taste—Fariba's desserts are a treat for the eyes too. Think: an array of elegant, stunningly designed sweets made with ingredients like rose water, saffron, pistachios, marzipan and chickpea flour. There's even a signature mini pie-like cookie created with spiced minced dates and surrounded by a delicate crust that's hand-stamped with gorgeous abstract patterns. Damarys Ocaña Perez
The 2020 SAVEUR Holiday Gift Guide
Receiving a box of Zozobaking’s Iranian baked goods is like opening the most precious and delicate jewelry box. Each Persian delicacy sparkles and perfumes the air with the scents of rose, cardamom and saffron. Treat yourself and your loved ones to the Shiraz box where you can get a little taste of each of Fariba Nafissi’s beautiful creations, including her signature kolompeh—date-filled walnut cookies from her hometown of Kerman, Iran. —Naz Deravian (Author of Bottom of the Pot)
To have the full recipe, please visit: Farhang Foundation
“The Iranian date cookie that’s a gift to Los Angeles”
“Nafissi creates familiar American flavor combinations — apple-cinnamon, blueberry-almond, strawberry, a seasonal cranberry number she’s been tinkering with recently — but her traditional kolompeh is by far the most wonderful. Yogurt and egg yolk make the dough tender; the edges are delicate and crumbly. She uses no other sweetener beyond the dates. Saffron gives the cookie its sunny color, and the spice mix lights up the brain: sparks from cinnamon and cloves, a floral hit from rose petal, a sneaky micro-pinch of cumin that intensifies the other flavors. Ground pistachios add a finale of gentle crunch.” -Bill Addison /Los Angeles Times
Read the full article here.
Beyond the Acorn Written by Allison Montroy Photos by Michael Coons
“A native of Kerman in the southern region of Iran, Fariba shares her love for her culture through food—namely, the colorful, intricate Persian pastries she serves at ZoZo.
Kolompeh, her signature pastry, is a specialty from home. The cookies are made of flour, eggs, yogurt and saffron, and filled with dates and a special mixture of spices—a treasured recipe passed down from Fariba’s mother, whose portrait hangs on the shop’s wall across from the kitchen where Fariba and her stepdaughter, Wynette, spend their mornings prepping the day’s orders.”
Read more.
805 Living
(Photo: JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR)
“ZoZo Baking owner and pastry chef Fariba Nafissi holds a tray of Persian pastries at the bakery's new bricks-and-mortar space, set to open Sept. 23 at the Simi Valley Town Center. Nafissi's specialities include kolompeh filled with spices, walnuts and dates like the ones that grow near her hometown of Kerman, Iran. Decor at the bakery includes a photo of her mother, Ashraf Saliani, now 85 and a continued source of culinary inspiration.”
-Lisa McKinnon
It was so wonderful to share this Persian rice cookie /Nan-e Berenji recipe & few baking tips with the amazing and talented Louisa Shafia.
“A few days ago, a cardboard box taped up by hand arrived at my door. It held a small white paper box, inside of which, nestled between layers of crinkly pink tissue paper, were the most beautiful cookies I have ever laid eyes on. Palm-sized hearts baked to pale gold perfection, stamped with an intricate swirling pattern and a bright green jewel of crushed pistachios to mark the center. Biting into the cookies revealed a sweet, spiced layer of velvety brown date filling. Whereas I would normally eat a delicious cookie as fast as possible and without much thought, these delicate pastries made me slow down, brew a pot of black tea, and sit down with my husband to enjoy them in all their delicacy.”
-Louisa Shafia
“In my head, masters are the people in old Italian paintings, the porcelain skin of their faces framed by frilly collars and antiquated hairstyles. It's harder to recognize a master in our midst. But I've come to believe that pastry chef Fariba Nafissi of ZoZo Baking is the real deal: Fariba is a true master of kolompeh.”
-Tannaz Sassooni
“Just shy of a month ago, I began researching Kolompeh, an Iranian pastry that has the appearance of a mini pie with a tantalizing mixture of minced dates, cardamom powder and spices. Kolompeh are works of art and I was taken by their detail and beauty. My research led me to the Zozo Baking site where I was lost in the admiration of the stunning photographs and spirit of a beautiful baker, Fariba Nafissi. The discovery of Fariba's site marked my gateway to a new addiction - the gorgeous molds used to make Kolompeh and the pastry itself”
-Jenny Hartin