Kamal Al-Faqih

As a first generation American with strong ties to my parents' native Lebanon, I spent many summers visiting my family in the villages of Aley and Deir Koubel, a few miles outside of Beirut. It all began with experiences and memories from these visits. I would stand in the kitchen, watching my grandmother, aunts and cousins buzz around preparing what always seemed to be a feast. The aroma of fresh parsley as someone's hands flew over a chopping board to make tabbouli or the sizzle of a kibbi ball splashing into hot oil were my early connections to a cuisine and culture with which I came of age. My appreciation for the foods and traditions of Lebanon developed into a professional career as a Lebanese Chef. For 20 years, I owned and was the head chef of Med Catering, which became the premier Mediterranean catering company in the Washington D.C. area. During those years my classic Lebanese dishes were offered at events for her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan, Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Senators George Mitchell and Barbara Mikulski, and world famous celebrities such as Placido Domingo, Angelica Huston and Francis Ford Coppola. Selwa "Lucky" Roosevelt, President Ronald Reagan's Chief of Protocol regularly called on me for both diplomatic events as well as for her private parties. My Lebanese-inspired menus were offered at various Smithsonian Institution museums, The White House, and thousands of events in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. In addition to my professional catering business, from the early 1990s to the present, I have had the pleasure of leading a variety of cooking demonstrations across North America for both small and large groups alike. From Georgetown University and the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C. to numerous private homes accross the United States and on the West Coast. I have been able to introduce many individuals to heart-healthy and exotic Mediterranean foods for both formal entertaining and casual dining. In 2005 I relocated to Southern California to pursue my dream of writing a cookbook. I spent the next two years working exclusively on writing, preparing and testing the recipes that I had perfected over the past two decades. In 2009 my cookbook...Classic Lebanese Cuisine-170 Fresh and Healthy Mediterranean Favorites was released. I continue to cook and learn...sharing and preparing recipes with friends and family. I hope you will enjoy the recipes. Sahtain (Double Health). You can visit me on my YouTube channel, chefkamal1 for demonstrations of several of my classic recipes. I also offer easy access to specialty cooking ingredients and utensils at my online store, shopkamal.com