NAME: SIHAM NUSEIBEH

CONCEPT: ‘WHOLEHEARTED’ BAKED BY SIHAM

TITLE: CREATOR AND BAKER

Faves

Chef: Dana Schultz of the Minimalist Baker

Cooking show: I don’t really watch cooking shows. I prefer food blogs like Minimalist Baker, Blissful Basil, Ambitious Kitchen, Nutrition Stripped, among many more

Cookbook: Clean Eats by Alejandro Junger and Fresh Happy Tasty: An Adventure in 100 Recipes by Jane Coxwell (next on my list to read and explore!)

What experience most defined your decision and desire to get into the food industry?

The lack of clean, simple, fresh, wholesome products available to us and the desire to show people that yummy desserts and eating clean can go together. I wanted to prove that dessert can be delicious – and with moderation, clean, wholesome and not detrimental to your health. Creating a balanced diet doesn’t mean starving yourself and then having a free for all once a week or once a month with chemical-laden and fake foods – it means nourishing your body with natural foods from the Earth and then treating yourself in moderation to the things you crave and enjoy most (and if you can find those treats in a clean wholesome version – even better!).

Where is your favorite place to shop for food and ingredients in Kuwait?

I have a few places I find my ingredients and buy my food in general – SaveCo, Sultan Center, and I also order from Natureland directly as they have a great selection of organic ingredients and foods.

What food most reminds you of your mother’s house, and why?

Maqlubat Jazar (a Palestinian rice dish mixed with spices, meat or chicken, and roasted carrots all cooked together and then flipped upside down to serve) because that was my favorite home

cooked meal (that and Musakhkhan) growing up. Whenever I  would come home from college during breaks that was the meal that was waiting for me at home.

When you want to go somewhere else to eat, where do you go and why?

I like making my own food or eating at home as I know what is going into my food. If I do go out my choices will be: Mayyas, Edo, PQ or Healthy Feast.

Who in the world would you most like to cook for?

Hmm that is a difficult one. I think my grandmother! She is a GREAT cook and very picky and critical with food. I never stepped foot in a kitchen until a couple years ago, so I want her to see and taste how far I’ve come!

If you were to leave Kuwait and could take only one kitchen gadget with you, what would it be?

My measuring cups.