Tell us a little more on yourself that you wish you could share with your readers.
I am a Palestinian - Canadian. My true love is teaching. I’m in my element cooking and creating recipes. I am passionate about sharing the foods and stories of my Palestinian heritage and the beautiful country I call home in Canada. I can’t imagine my fridge without plenty of fresh lemons and homemade yogurt.
Your specialty is Arabic cuisine. Are there any misconceptions about the cuisine that you’ve often come across when presenting your show or when talking to people?
Arabic cuisine remains a mystery to most people. It is often thought of as “spice-heavy” and laden with meat and rice dishes. While we do love rice and many dishes feature it, there are still hundreds of dishes waiting to be discovered that use many grains like Freekeh, Burghul, Couscous for example. The subtle use of herbs is prominent in Arabic cuisine and can also be the star ingredient like we see in the beautiful salad known as Tabbouleh.
And most people have been introduced to many wonderful street foods like Shawarma, Falafel, Zaatar Flatbreads (Manaqeesh) and the exceptional refined dishes are enjoyed in homes and not in a fine dining restaurant setting.
You’ve written two books about Arabic cuisine. Was it difficult to transpose your thoughts and emotions of the food you create on paper when writing the books?
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Movin' On Up!
Mr Leonard Lam, Senior Vice President & Managing Director of Welbit Asia-Pacific region
Imports/ Exports: The Singaporean Chef Story
How has the Singaporean palate and F&B scene changed thanks to the chefs that come into Singapore? How has the F&B standards changed thanks to chefs leaving Singapore to learn from other countries? In this two-part series, we will be focusing on the Imports and Exports of chefs that have made an impact on the local cuisine and F&B scene in Singapore and their work overseas.
A Fruitful Blooming For The World Gourmet Summit & Peach Blossoms
The World Gourmet Summit has, for the last 24 years, been a pinnacle of excellence with regards to gastronomy, service and hospitality. This can be seen best at parkroyal collection marina bay, singapore, where long-standing modern cantonese restaurant peach blossoms was the host of the world gourmet summit silver jubilee edition 6-hands dinner, where chefs Edward Chong, Tony Khoo and Chan Tuck Wai came together to conceptualise and execute a seven-course menu for discerning guests who have long been fans of the work of all three chefs.
Jack Of All Skills, (Re)master of All
Chef Kong Kok Kiang, Executive Chef of Sentosa Golf Club
Scrambling After Eggs
Eggs are a huge part of our lives, and a large part of our lives with regards to cooking. At the same time, we tend to forget the importance of them, so ubiquitous in our lives that they then get ignored. We ask dessert creators, and chocolatiers to examine their relationship with eggs, and what would happen if eggs should, god forbid, fall out of our lives.
Austrian Wines + Singaporean Cuisine = International Gastronomy
Austrian wines are known for being one of the more underrated regions for winemaking. These exceptional wines are fast becoming more explored in Southeast Asia, and we ask two sommeliers to sit down and taste wines from Austria. All these wines are easily available for purchase in the Singapore market, and can easily match with local delights.
On The Coffee Train
Cimbali Group’s regional director for Asia & Pacific, MS Millie Chan sits with us and discusses coffee, cimbali group and their facilities, and how their newest training facility is going to help elevate the coffee scene in singapore and the Asia Pacific Region.
Measure Of A Man
The late Mr wolf-dieter rösch was the modern take of the renaissance man: a man who embraced the warmth of knowledge and the determination to keep learning from every place he visited. In turn he leaves behind a legacy that will be fondly remembered by the people who he met.
SUSEGADO Paradiso: Part Two
A Three Part Series On Goa
A Portrait Of The Chef As A Young Woman
To get a sense of Chef Aeron Choo’s work ethic as well as personality, we first have to tell the story of meeting her for the first time in her restaurant, Kappou Japanese Sushi Tapas Bar at Fortune Center. She’s working with her kitchen team, scrutinising the ingredients she has prepared, making sure that the slices of tuna she has made is up to scratch, prepping and discarding elements that she is dissatisfied with that don’t work with the dishes. Then, she pulls out a 1.7kg spiny lobster, fresh from the tank, and very much alive. When the lobster is clearly flailing from being yanked out of the tank it had been swimming in, she takes time to stroke, pet the lobster and whisper sweet nothings to calm the creature down.
