Everyday as a kid I used to run home (okay, I actually waited for the school bus number 12 to drop me home), excited beyond comparison to try what my Mum had whipped up for lunch that day. She always made not one, but two dishes - one Lebanese, and one international inspired- because you cannot be a Lebanese mum and risk having your family not like one dish, so you always make another as a backup!

I grew up, travelled overseas to study and this is where I started cooking myself, and for my friends, in my dorm room! I then worked in the corporate world, which allowed me to travel, and taste amazing local foods, but I found myself missing something intangible - that was more than just ‘home food, or comfort food’. After around 20 years I pushed away my keyboard, put on an apron, and found myself back in the kitchen. My dishes began as an attempt to capture the delicacies of my Mother’s creations - but I soon became obsessed with experimenting, mixing in flavours I’d discovered travelling the globe. Luckily, I was also able to capture that magic of a shared meal that my Mother instilled in me -  of gathering together, aromas bringing us to the table to laugh and bond, and of course relish!