Butcher & Bee Celebrates Persian New Year With Guest Chef Louisa Shafia

In honor of the Persian New Year celebration Norooz, Butcher & Bee executive chef Bryan Lee Weaver will host a family-style feast at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21, with guest chef Louisa Shafia, author of The New Persian Cookbook. 

Meaning "new day," Norooz takes place in March during the spring equinox, when the sun crosses the celestial equator and day and night are equal in length. It marks the beginning of the Iranian New Year, a joyful time of cultural unity that’s observed by Persians in and outside of Iran. Norooz celebrations are notable for a profusion of green hues, echoing the holiday’s emphasis on the reawakening of nature. Popular Norooz meals include bean, herb and noodle soup, herbed rice served with fish, herbed frittatas or omelets, and sabzi khordan, a platter of fresh herbs eaten as a salad.

Shafia won acclaim in New York City for her Persian street-food pop-up, Lakh Lakh, but recently relocated to Nashville, which has a sizable and tight-knit Persian community. Partnering with Butcher & Bee was a logical fit because "there is a lot in common between Persian and Israeli food, and Butcher & Bee understands those flavors from the Middle East," Shafia says. "I knew they would know how to riff on these flavors and work to bring out the best in them."

Tickets are $87.33 per person and include food, a welcome drink, tax and gratuity. A portion of the night's proceeds will benefit the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition. You can make reservations for the dinner online on the restaurant's website.

Norooz Persian New Year Dinner

Tuesday, Mar. 21

6:30 p.m.

Butcher & Bee 

902 Main St.

Tickets: $87.33 per person