What inspired you to become a chef, and how does that story shape your cooking today?

Food was always the language of our home. My father is Saudi, and my mother is German-Croatian, and I was raised in California—our dining table was a cultural education in itself, filled with eclectic cuisine and mind-opening conversation. Growing up in the culturally vibrant city of Jeddah, which hosts millions of pilgrims from around the world, culture, hospitality, and the arts run through my veins. Our family trips always involved weekend markets and local hidden gems, while the books we read and independent films we were exposed to sparked a curiosity about the world beyond my little nest—something that grew with me as I ventured into adulthood.

I graduated as a special education teacher, and it was in the classroom that food came back to me in a different way. I noticed how much the children’s lunchboxes were working against them. I started a side blog documenting the wholesome, easy meals I was making for my own children. It resonated quietly at first, then grew into an online community of young parents finding inspiration and guidance through my contributions to the World Wide Web.

That community allowed me to launch my healthy snack business, then named “Food Evolution,” and eventually led me to pursue an education at Le Cordon Bleu, where I formally studied gastronomy and naturally gravitated toward the world of culinary arts and hospitality.

That community is still with me. It’s what kept me going through hosting supper clubs, launching products, and curating world-class gala dinners.

My cooking today is a direct conversation between all of those worlds: the Saudi pantry, the European table, the mother, the storyteller, the teacher, the student, and the curious traveler.

What’s your favorite dish, and why?

This is a question I get asked often, and it’s always difficult to answer. Narrowing it down to one dish is nearly impossible for someone who tastes new dishes every day, plans trips around culinary tourism, and develops menus for a living.

But if I had to choose, my answer would always be a slow-cooked lamb shank—tender, deeply seasoned, and paired with seasonal root vegetables that infuse their earthy flavors into the meat. Low and slow.

The Saudi version would be Haneeth: slow-cooked lamb wrapped in a desert plant called markh, enjoyed with sidr honey and freshly baked bread. A bite of that feels like an ancestral hug. There’s something primal and comforting about lamb that transcends every table I’ve ever sat at. It melts, perfumes the kitchen, and never fails. It’s everything I love in a dish—adaptable to any culture or occasion, generous enough to prepare a day ahead, and built to be shared.

What are three ingredients you always keep in your kitchen?

Flaky salt. Extra virgin olive oil. A good sourdough loaf. Back to basics, done well.

What is your philosophy or personal motto?

I return often to this verse attributed to Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib:

دَواؤُكَ فيكَ وَما تُبصِرُ وَداؤُكَ مِنكَ وَما تَشعُرُ
وَتَحسَبُ أَنَّكَ جِرمٌ صَغيرٌ وَفيكَ اِنطَوى العالَمُ الأَكبَرُ

The remedy you seek lives in your own breath —
The wound you carry, your own hand has made.
You call yourself a fragment, something small —
And yet inside you, a universe is laid.

It reminds me that the answers aren’t elsewhere—they’re in stillness, in attention, in looking inward before reaching outward. I remind myself to cook, to mother, to create, and to live from that place.

What is your dream in life?

My dream was never a fixed destination. It’s about the quality of presence I bring to what’s in front of me: raising my two sons with intention, building a community of people who share a curiosity for the world, and moving between Jeddah, London, and the spaces in between in a way that feels true to who I am.

Real success, for me, is the steady sense of progression—there is no final arrival. It’s knowing how to rest in one season and grow in another. Above everything, it’s about maintaining a sense of flow and ease through life, staying centered, and keeping my faith strong.

What are your current projects and plans?

I’m currently working with several government and private entities across the region as a cultural and culinary advisor, while also developing new recipes for my seasonal events and gala dinners between Europe and Saudi Arabia.

Something else is quietly taking shape in London—stay close to find out. You won’t want to miss this first-of-its-kind concept.