“Caring about where my food comes from is just as important as its nutritional content.”

Aliya Mazandarani

I have loved cooking and creating beautiful food since I was too short to even reach the countertop. My Middle Eastern Grandmother, Bibi, who lived with us was up early every morning to start preparing the day’s food and the love and attention she gave to the food we ate has been my inspiration. She treated ingredients with love and care and gave much of her time to producing the fragrant wholesome dishes we all loved. Food was her love language and it’s without a doubt mine too! I loved to spend time with her and watch her stuff vine leaves and onions, grind spices and chop mountains of fresh herbs. To this day I am in my happiest space when I am preparing meals for people I love. Cooking is a meditation for me.

Of course, times have changed and we live a different paced life. We work longer hours and are less connected with the Earth and where our food comes from. In my journey to better health, life, and food, I have found that much of my progress has been made as I re-ignite this connection and have more respect for the provenance of my ingredients. Caring about where my food comes from, how it’s been processed and packaged, and who is selling it to me, are all just as important to me as the nutritional content of the food. I believe everything is connected and that if I care about my health – I have to care about the planet and my environment too. Much of my motivation to cook tasty and healthful meals comes from my three children and keeping 2 teenage boys sated and making sure my 3-year-old enjoys a wide variety of foods and textures is no mean feat!