Cooking With Love: Alice’s Kitchen
Recipes from this Story: My Father’s Tomato Salad; Summer Squash Stuffed with Rice
Director’s Journal
This was a story which found me. Linda is a neighbor of Ed, the story, and introduced herself.
A cookbook author, gardener, and artist? Hmmm, I wanted to know more. We began to talk on the phone and I liked the idea of doing a story on someone with such a rich family history in which food played such a major role. Not just the making of a dish, but also in the growing of the ingredients (when possible), and the presentation of it; based on her Lebanese cooking traditions.
It was so much fun to hang out with Linda! I was treated to my first cup of Arabic coffee (which definitely gave me an extra boost of energy!), got a tour of the biggest kitchen garden I’ve ever seen (which included tasting freshly plucked figs!), and I got to watch a new way to prepare squash. See for yourself in the video above, How to Make Summer Squash Stuffed with Rice.
While the food was cooking, Linda took us into her Studio. She showed us the original cookbook draft, which had led to an article in the Saudi Aramco World magazine. Her illustrations were wonderful and oh-so-colorful.
I came away feeling richer, fuller. Not only did I get to meet Linda, but through her, her mom, Alice. I am so glad Linda endeavored over the years to write down recipes that were typically handed down through only oral traditions. And to also share family stories with these recipes. In a sense, by reading the cookbook, her family becomes a part of your family. That’s a nice gift.
—Rebecca
Additional Resources
- Linda Dalal Sawaya, cookbook author, artist, and writer
- Ethnic Cuisine: Lebanon
- Kitchen Gardeners International
- Lebanese Cuisine
October 11th, 2007 at 5:41 am
Wow!
What a fantastic set of videos. I just simply love Lebanese food. So wonderful to watch someone making this!
Thank you
October 11th, 2007 at 11:03 am
Thanks David
I loved how Linda grew so much of her own food! I was truly inspired. I put in a garden this past spring (my first in years), and I have new plans for the coming year. I’m definitely adding a fruit tree!
Rebecca
November 29th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Thanks for your articles; your voice cheers my day and excites my desire to explore the world of foods, techniques and cooking.
December 17th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Your cookbook reads like a novel with so much history and adventure in our beloved native homeland, Lebanon. The delicious recipes excite memories and taste buds for anyone who knows this food and for anyone who does not, the authenticity is beyond compare! Thank you for sharing your endeavor and giving us this fabulous and delicious looking video…I wanted to fill my plate!!
December 26th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
What a wonderful series!! It makes my mouth water thinking of Alice’s Lebanese food. How do you find such interesting, multi-talented people to interview? Cooking Up a Story is my favorite site about food and cooking. I love the combination of storytelling and video because it gets a personal message across. I came away feeling that I had just met Alice. Thank you!!!
December 26th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
That’s one of the wonderful things about doing these videos, you come away with a sense of who the person is, and , in many cases, what influenced them to be creating what they do today.