Anissa Helou

ANISSA HELOU is a writer, journalist, broadcaster and blogger. Born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, and Mashta el-Helou, Syria, she knows the Mediterranean as only a well-travelled native can.

Ms. Helou is the author of numerous award-winning cookbooks including Levant, Recipes and Memories from the Middle East, The Fifth Quarter, An Offal Cookbook; Modern Mezze; Savory Baking from the Mediterranean; Mediterranean Street Food; Café Morocco; and Lebanese Cuisine, which was a finalist for the prestigious Andre Simon awards and chosen as one of the Los Angeles Times’ favourite books in 1998. Lebanese Cuisine remains the classic work on this increasingly popular cuisine. The Fifth Quarter, An Offal Cookbook; Modern Mezze; and Mediterranean Street Food have received Gourmand World Cookbook awards. The latter was included in Food & Wine magazine’s selection of the Best of the Best for 2002 and chosen as one of Cooking Light’s top 100 cookbooks for the last 25 years. Her latest book, Savory Baking from the Mediterranean, was chosen by NPR, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and Food & Wine as one of the best cookbooks for 2007.

An accomplished photographer and intrepid traveller she runs culinary tours to various Mediterranean countries. She also teaches cooking classes in London and elsewhere and her latest travel/cooking Show, Al Chef Yaktachef, was shown on Abu Dhabi TV in 2010. She occasionally runs Arab supper clubs in her loft, and was the first ever chef-in-residence in Leighton House during their Nour festival in November 2011. This year, Ms. Helou was included in Arabian Business’ list of 100 most important Arab women and in their list of the 500 most influential Arab people in the world.

She has just launched Koshari Street, an Egyptian street food concept, in London and they plan to launch others very soon. Ms Helou is fluent in French, Arabic, and English. (London, England)