The Health Diaries

Yotam Ottolenghi Can’t Live Without Coffee

How the restaurateur, family man, and new cookbook author maintains his work-life balance

There are many ways to live a healthy life. The Health Diaries is a weekly series about the habits that keep notable people living well.

On paper, chef Yotam Ottolenghi seems like one of the busiest men in the restaurant business. He co-owns five cafes and restaurants in London, where he lives with his husband and two children. Ottolenghi is also the author of several cookbooks, including a new one out this month called Ottolenghi SIMPLE. Despite the fast-paced restaurant life, Ottolenghi says he’s pretty good at keeping his work and family life well-balanced. He shares with Medium how he maintains his high-profile food industry lifestyle, while also prioritizing regular Pilates sessions and being home for his kids’ bedtime every night.

Every morning I wake up between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. I have two young boys, ages 3 and 5, and I can always count one of them to wake up by 5:30 a.m.. I only use an alarm clock if I need to be up particularly early. Otherwise, I can count on the kids.

The first thing I do after I wake up is get a cup of coffee and go straight back to bed. I can’t do anything before…