Executive Chef Fejsal Demiraj joins TKA as Mentor

Specializing in Culinary Heritage Exploration & Representation

Fejsal Demiraj is an Albanian-American Chef originally from Yonkers, New York. Fejsal’s family is from Tropoja in Northern Albania.

With over 20 years of experience in the field of gastronomy, most of Fejsal’s time has been spent at some of the most reputable restaurants in the world—including management roles in several Michelin Starred restaurants. Fejsal spent years at Restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, and earned the title of Sous-Chef. Noma is regarded as the best restaurant in the world and is widely recognized as the most innovative restaurant in the world.

During his time at Noma Fejsal started a research project called The Albanian Gastronomy Expedition with the mission to preserve Albanian Ethno-Gastronomy. Fejsal is now continuing this mission of discovering his roots and preserving traditional knowledge of the Albanian kitchen. Fejsal has contributed research to several projects, including publishing a book in Albanian and English focused on Kosova’s culinary heritage.

Fejsal has also launched a brand of Regional Albanian Flavors called AMËZ. AMËZ means “aftertaste” in the Albanian Geg Dialect and is Albania’s word for “umami”. Each forthcoming product within the AMËZ brand aims to represent a specific regional Albanian flavor, dish, ingredient or tradition.

Chef’s Statement “I feel an intense connection with the land of my ancestors, and I hope I can contribute, in my own way, to the betterment, development and strengthening of Albanian identity through food. As a member of the Albanian Diaspora, I believe this is something that resonates with the entire Diaspora across the world; what we as Albanians eat. I am investing my knowledge, my skill as an expert in this field and my time to continue this mission."