Tell us about your experience

I am an American chef and food writer. After attending the French Culinary Institute in New York City,  I gained experience in some of America’s most prestigious kitchens before moving to London, where I became a private chef and contributed to NBC’s Today Show and Travel & Leisure Magazine. I lived for five years in Beirut, where I created menus for several new restaurants and was proprietor of The Pantry Beirut. I was the Project Manager of Empowering Women Through Cooking Lebanon, which was recently launched, and I am working on my own cookbook.

What is your earliest memory of food?

On Christmas Eve, I’d just turned 3; while the adults ate their festive dinner in the dining room, I sat by the Christmas tree shaking my presents to try to figure out what I was getting and ate the entire (huge) platter of shrimp cocktail that had been left on the coffee table. It is part of our Christmas Eve tradition to serve shrimp cocktails; it is engraved in my memory.

What is your philosophy/motto?

Local tastes better.

What is your dream in life?

I hope to empower more women in Amman to work in the hospitality industry, ensuring they feel safe and supported. These women will be a part of my kitchen, celebrating local products in a delicious way. Together, we will grow a community supported by my restaurant. I want my diners to understand that a restaurant is so much more than just a place to eat—it’s a trickle-down economy that benefits many.

What is your signature dish?

I left this to last but still couldn’t come up with one! I’m not wedded to any one dish or even style of cooking, but I do make a terrific lasagna and think my lavender honey ice cream is pretty special.

What are your favorite ingredients to work with?

I’m continuously inspired by the beautiful ingredients of the Mediterranean. The flavors of Lebanon will always be with me no matter where I go. I’ve got stockpiles of good quality tahini and zaatar and sumac and freekeh and mahleb! They’re incredibly versatile and flavorful, and I enjoy using them all in unexpected, unconventional ways.

Can you share any of your culinary secrets with our home cooker?

Keep your knives sharp and be organized! But most of all, have fun. Cooking should be fun, and I think we sometimes get bogged down in the everyday-ness of it and forget to play.

How do you describe your overall cooking philosophy?

Because I grew up traveling all over the world, I think I’ve been given the unique gift of looking at culture and food from the outside and taking ingredients and traditional dishes, and applying them to my own way of cooking. Wherever I am, I try to emphasize the local and highlight the best in that. Much like me, my recipes come from everywhere!

What are your current projects and plans?

I’m searching high and low for a location in Amman for my restaurant! Everything is ready to go; I just need a fabulous building to call my own. The all-day dining concept will be an extension of what I did at my pop-up at Wild Jordan this past summer: local, seasonal, fresh food featuring Jordan’s best ingredients. I also hope to have a small marketplace with gorgeous pastries, bunches of flowers, and our best-selling ingredients for sale. In the meantime, I’m hosting small pop-up dinners around town, so stay tuned!