Cooking Up Stories with Heifa Odeh

Welcome to Siti Stories, a podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices and highlighting the achievements of Palestinian women. Inspired by the gatherings of our cities, sharing stories over a pot of tea and stitching tatris, this podcast is a space where stories inspire, voices are heard, and community is celebrated. I'm your host, Nena, and today we're diving into the delicious world of Palestinian cuisine and storytelling through food. Joining us is an exciting guest and a good friend of mine, Heifer Ada, a talented chef and food blogger. She is preserving and sharing the rich culinary traditions of Palestine one recipe at a time. Hi, Heifa. Hi. Thanks for coming. Oh my god, this is so cool. Heiva is my first guest because I am lucky enough to be her friend and I feel very comfortable with her. So she's going to be my first guest. I'll go easy on. Yeah. Um, thank you so much for being here and be here. I'm proud of you. I'm glad that you're doing this. Aw, thanks so much. I really do appreciate your support, Haifa. I would love for us to open the conversation with a Siddhi-inspired question. What's your favorite food memory from your childhood that reminds you of home with your sitdis? So I've had the privilege to visit Philistine several times growing up. I mean, we would go all summer for every other summer. So I've been there almost a dozen times, and something that always sticks out to me every time I go is making chubiz taboon outside, um, in the taboon, the oven that they use, and just enjoying that bread fresh with all our meals, you know, whether it might be breakfast where we dip it in homemade, homemade cheese. Everything is homemade. Palestinians are simple, they're resourceful, they eat from their land and what they produce, and it just tastes amazing. I'm always in awe. Every time I go, I'm like, man, like how do they do all this, you know? So that's something that always comes to mind. Just enjoying the fresh hubiz with getting it hot from the oven. Yes. Right off the taboon. And then sometimes after it's a day or two old and we want to repurpose it, we'd make them safan with it. So it's I just I love it. And I actually have both recipes on my blog because it's so nostalgic to me, you know. So that's that's definitely one of the first things that comes to mind. I love that. And that's such a reflection of like the Palestinian people. We are always so hustle and like close to our roots. Everything is from our ground like soil and from our home. And that's why our land is so important to us. That's why we will fight and we're resilient because our land is everything. It's what nourishes us. So we need to take care of it. Before we dive into your love for food, I want to start with where it all began: your roots, your story, and the flavors that shaped your journey. So taking it a step back, can you share a bit about yourself and where you grew up? Yeah, so funny story, guys. Leila and I are both from Jersey. We are Jersey girls, but guess what? We didn't know each other in Jersey. That's funny. Like we actually became friends here. Um, so yeah, I'm from Jersey, born and raised, North Jersey, North Jersey. And I moved here about eight years ago when I got married to my husband, Ahmed. Um, and we have two little boys now, Dilla. Um, but yeah, I'm from Jersey, reside here now, Palestinian, and I'm from a Baled called Fercha. Someone asks me what Balad I'm from, and I tell them Farcha, they just look at me with a blank stare. Some who know what farha means kind of like laugh because farha means little chicken or young chicken. They just like laugh. You're from there. But um, it's a small village and it's right by Salfit. So Salfit is the bigger town. So some people might know Salfit, like that's where my father walked to school, that's where the hospital is, that's where you would go to do your shopping and so on. So if you don't know where Salfit is, then I will tell you Ferha is about 30 minutes from Ramallah and 30 minutes from Nablus, if of course checkpoints are an issue. Because it's also up high, it's like up in the mountains, and which is kind of scary too. Every time we have to get in the car and drive up there, it's kind of scary. But the wind, God, that's my favorite part in the evening. The wind is just so nice and refreshing. That's where I'm from. And mostly everybody in the town is related to me. Yeah, I'm sure. Like every other Palestinian village. Thank you so much for sharing a bit about yourself and your beds, Fercha. It's clear that your experiences have shaped the path that you're on today. In Palestinian households, food has such a deep connection to identity and culture. How has your Palestinian heritage influenced your culinary journey and the way you express it through food? So, growing up, my my mom, my parents, they made it very important to us to understand our heritage, right? One of the biggest ways, especially with my mom, was through food. The way she shows her love is through food. She will cook for you. She might not say, I love you right away, but she'll be like, here, eat this maklube. I am a reflection of my mother. I find myself constantly feeding my friends and my nailers and family because I just love to. I that's how I show my love, my appreciation. But yeah, my mom always cooked for us Palestinian food. She was making Douali and Mensaf and Msafan and Maklube. And, you know, of course, some days here and there we'd be like, mom, okay, like we want our pasta. You know what I mean? But that's that's kind of how it all started. I mean, she always made sure that we knew our roots through our food, and my dad always made sure that we knew our roots through the language. Like I speak and read and write Arabic. I'm so happy that that's the case that they put me through that um to make sure that it's another way to preserve, another way to preserve our culture. So did you draw a lot of inspiration from your mom? Yeah, I did. And she loves to hear it. I taught you that. I'm like, like, yes, you did. Um, yes, you did. But yeah, definitely her and my grandmothers. I call them tetas. My tetas, yeah. So they both inspired me too. Even even though I didn't get as much time cooking with them, you know, when I'd go visit her, my uh paternal grandmother would come visit sometimes too in America. I have vivid memories with them in the kitchen. And that's what's so special about food. Like you said, you didn't get to see them often because they were overseas, but you tasted their food through your parents' cooking. That's why it's so important for what I do now. Yeah, like it's so important that I continue to preserve and document and share. I've always loved being in the kitchen. My mom didn't always love me being in the kitchen, but I loved being in the kitchen. So what I did was I got a job at a local bakery at 15 years old, and I worked there until I got married. Even though I had a full-time job as a teacher as well, I stayed there because I just loved it so much. And I realized I really have a passion for just being in that type of space. When I came here to Chicago after uh getting married, and I finally had my own space, my own kitchen. Um, I found myself a little intimidated because I wanted to cook all the foods that my mom would make for us, but I wasn't confident in my ability to do so. So that's where alhamdulillah, we have FaceTime. FaceTime came in. I just started talking with her, and of course, her measurements aren't, you know, measurements. They're like a cup of this, and she uses a mug. But yeah, that's kind of how the journey of Fofa's Kitchen started. I I saw that there was a need, and so many people would just ask me, How'd you make this? How'd you make this? And that's just how it started. When I got married, I thought I knew how to cook more things than I actually did. Because I was like, of course I know how to cook makulu, but I've watched my mom make it a hundred times. You actually do it. You want you want a visual, you want those steps, you want just something there to guide you throughout. And that's what my blog does. It really is beautiful how your Palestinian heritage is woven into your love for food. For a lot of people, cooking is a passion and a way to connect with family and culture, but turning that passion into a career is a whole other journey. What was that moment that made you realize you really wanted to take your love for food beyond the home kitchen and transitioning that to a career? It kind of like happened. So it kind of happened like a lament away for me. I didn't think that I would be here seven years ago when I started Fufu's Kitchen. Really, if you scroll all the way back on my Instagram or if you go all the way back to my old recipes, you could see that I was an amateur, you know, and we all learn from someplace, right? We don't start off at the top. We learn, and it humbles you the whole journey. I would say that about a year and a half, maybe two years into blogging, I won Savoy Magazine's best food culture blog. It was reader's choice too, which meant like people value my blog. And people are happy for me and proud of me and want me to succeed. And this is something that they need. That's when I realized like this is could be it. Like, I can make this my living. I could make my passion, you know, something that I get to do every day. And here I am at Cookbook Later, um, award, doing classes, podcasts, and you know, so much more. Alhamdulillah. So it's it's awesome. It's been a humble journey. You deserve all the best. You really put all your heart into it. It's amazing to watch and amazing to see you kind of really grow as a person and as a business. Trust me, I was I was really scared. And that's something that I definitely want people to know that it is scary. It's very scary to start anything new. I was never that person who liked change. I liked what I knew, and I just kept fade like that. You risk never really fulfilling all the things that you may have wanted if you just stay stagnant. Or knowing what you're capable of. Yeah, or you don't know what you're capable of. So throughout this journey, I've taken risks. I've seen failure, I've felt failure, but the failure actually you need to fail. I feel like you need to fail in order to know, hey, which direction do I need to go, or maybe to humble yourself a little bit. You learn. You learn from your mistakes and you keep go going forward. And you never know what Allah has in store for you. I love that you touched on highlights, like you shared with us your awards and your book and the demos that you're doing and your spaces that have been opened up. Online cooking course. Yeah, but then you also touched upon the challenges. Nothing comes easy. Yeah, it's there's hurdles. I know sometimes people just see the recipe magically appear on their feed or on my site, but man, is there hours of work that goes behind that? I know it's very easy when it's just like, oh, here's another video or you know, a recipe, but it takes hours to take photos, video, edit, voiceover, write the whole blog post. A lot of people actually do approach me and they're like, hey, like I want to start a business, or hey, I want to start a food blogger, I want to do this, and I I believe I could do this. I tell them just start. There's no perfect time. You just start. You know, for me, I started because it was almost out of necessity because I was here, I didn't have any friends. We didn't meet yet. Yeah, we didn't meet yet. Maybe uh you shouldn't have just hopped on to Pizza. We met in Pete's guys. You should have just came to Pete's earlier, but yeah, I I needed I needed an outlet. I needed something because I was just depressed, to be honest with you. And my husband was working, I was home, I didn't have, you know, it was just it was just really hard. It left my family, my friends, my my job. That's that's where those moments come. Are you gonna just sit there and sulk into this or are you gonna do something about it? Well, Ahmed, my husband, he knows a little bit about starting a website. He's like, you know, why don't I make you a blog? It was really his idea. He's like, you've you've talked about wanting to um do something of that nature and you could do it from home and it'll it'll help you utilize your time so you don't feel like this. Yeah. So I really wouldn't have done better. So it's nice to have a support system. And if you guys don't have one, hit me up. Your support system, so say. Taking that leap from passion to profession is such a bold and inspiring move. With every journey, it really comes with its own set of challenges. You bravely shared that was a way for you to cope with depression. How are you able to overcome those challenges? Listen, I'm hard on myself. Most of the time, I will look to my support system, whether it's a good friend or my husband. And I'm like, hey, am I crazy here? Because sometimes you don't see things a hundred percent when you're in something. And it's nice to hear that advice, but also you really need to think about what you want to do, what you want to achieve. And do you want to stop here or do you want to keep going until you get there and figure out a way to do so? There's no reward without risk, and that is very true. And I I've seen it and lived it in some moments of my life. And tawakul, tawakul in Allah is very big, right? We plan and we plan, but Allah's the best of planners. So sometimes we just have to go with it and see where it takes us, right? So that's how I kind of see. I try not to um dwell too much. Sometimes I will for a few hours or a day, but then I try to like move on. Yeah, I think that's pretty natural, but I think always just have a positive attitude. And like you said, is this where I want to end it or do I want to keep going? So it's kind of easier to get out of that rut when you're like, I still have more to do. Your work is so important, and that brings me to my next topic. Your work is not just creating food. Food is one of the most powerful ways to preserve identity. It tells the story of our people, our land, and our resilience. Through your work, you've become a storyteller in your own right. Why is storytelling such an important part of your work? I think storytelling in general is a way for people to connect. I think a lot of times people see themselves in these stories, and it's a way of just connecting and sometimes reliving those like moments that may have maybe been in the back of your mind. And then you read a blog post or a story and you're like, oh wow, yeah, I remember doing that too. And it just sparks that like joy in like someone's heart, you know. And I love that. I love when people message me and they're like, you know, thank you so much for teaching me how to make maklube or whatever it might be. Like, this is a dish that I always enjoyed at my parents' house and my grandparents' house. I just never knew how to make it. And like your blog helped me so much, and I feel like I'm back there again. Like, there's no better like compliment. There really is no better compliment, you know. And I'll be honest with you, I know you you said that like I'm doing more than just sharing recipes, but for a long time, um, I had a hard time thinking that I was making a difference. I'm like, at the end of the day, I'm just sharing recipes, right? But then when people like, and that's why I'm saying it's really important to have a good community and like around you that kind of help you up. Because for me, when people started making these comments and reaching out to me and making du'a for me, I was like, wow, like I am making an impact, you know? And at first it was very hard for them, like, oh, I just like showed you how to make a recipe, right? But then when they would tell me, like, no, like this is more than that, this is a way for me to preserve my heritage and pass it on to my children and so on and so forth. I really started to like realize like the work that I'm doing matters a hundred percent. It matters and it's making a difference. And and that's another reason why I wrote my uh cookbook. Palestinian cuisine is so powerful, such a form of resistance, especially with like Israeli migration. Yeah, they want to claim your food, and so yeah, by you continuously putting it out there and documenting it, not only just putting it out there and documenting it, but teaching it to others, obviously be passed down to generations. It's it's allowing it to not be erased. With Palestinians, we could use literally anything as a form of resistance, and food is one of them, and that's why I I think your work is so important. It's not just putting out recipes, it's not just putting out cute pictures or pretty Yeah, I want to do our people due diligence. I think you better thank you. I think you thank you. And you touched up on community in the sense of people who follow your recipes and things of that nature, but can you like go in a little bit deeper on what role does community play with your work and if you've been able to connect with other Palestinian chefs or food bloggers? And honestly, I don't feel like I'd be here today without my community. At the end of the day, the community, I see them as part of my family, my online family. I n I never, and if I ever have, please, I apologize. I never like to tell people you're my follower. Yeah, that was never my it sounds like my followers. No, no, to me, they're they're my online community. Like they matter, they see something in me, and that's why they follow my work and that's why they support me. Yeah, I wouldn't be here without my online community, but then also the community that I've kind of made here in Chicago. Yeah. What is that like? I know you've been able to do demos and libraries and cultural events. So when I first moved here, like I said, I didn't really know anybody. But then after a year or two of doing my food blog, a lot of the locals started to recognize me or know me, and they would tell me like they really love my blog and the work that I do. And I started to meet new people and build friendships and be a part of the community. Whether I started something called uh Fufo's Friendsgiving Avant, which I did for two years before COVID, and that was a way for me to bring the community together, but also give back to the community. So, community to me has always been very important, it's the backbone of what I do. I couldn't have done it without the community. So, yeah, I see them as a support system, and I'm so humbled to be a part of the Chicago community because they've really welcomed me with open arms. Like everyone, everyone's been just so nice. I think it's a perfect community to be in for somebody who does your work because there are just so many Palestinians and so many Palestinian businesses. Alhamdulillah, I worked down. Yeah. And like you said, it was also just a way for you to make friends as well. A lot of people know me, and I never really knew them, but they always had a precursor of who Haifa is or who Fufu was. So Fufu is my name. So you'll see that uh a lot of people actually call me Fufu. They're like, oh, wait, is that okay? I'm like, yeah, it's definitely okay. It's totally fine. I mean, that's my blog, Fufu's Kitchen, right? That's great. How do you hope your work impacts the way people see and understand Palestinian culture and identity? That's a packed question. Yeah. Um, especially in these times. And you're gonna try not to cry. I'm probably gonna I it's hard not to talk about it. I think about it every day. I think about the people in Gaza. I think about them in everything that I do. Me sipping this tea right now, I think about them. When I when I go to wash my face, I think about them. I think about them in everything. And to be honest with you, there's this immense guilt that I feel doing what I do right now. Yes, I'm preserving recipes, but I'm also sharing food while my people are starving. Yeah. So it's a very, it's been a very difficult space for me to navigate. Yeah because at the this is my job, this is my career, but I also want to be very aware and acknowledge what they are going through. And I I almost feel like like an imposter, like a fake when I just like share food and I know this. You know what I mean? It's also a higher skill. It's a very, yeah, because it could have been us. Yeah. I'm always like, am I doing enough? Should I just not do this anymore? I mean, it's crossed my mind to not do it anymore. I have taken many breaks because, first of all, my mental health was struggling seeing this day in, day out. And if you guys didn't know, I had a baby within the last year or two. So it was very difficult. But then also, like last Ramadan, I couldn't bring myself to post either, knowing that they're fasting and uh they're going through this. It's been very difficult to navigate. I never want to feel like I am somebody who's unaware and sensitive because I'm not. I I know what's happening and I acknowledge what's happening, and I do a lot behind the scenes. Do you want to share what you do? I mean, I work with organizations to help provide for the people in Gaza. I've done different fundraising as well. I have people from Gaza that follow me, and sometimes just communicating or adding to their voice in a sense, or um, amplifying their platforms too just helps them. So it's been it's been very difficult to navigate in the space that I'm in, but I'm just taking it one day at a time, you know. But yeah, it is really important to to um preserve our cuisine now more than ever. Yeah, I was just thinking the other day, like my cookbook got published two years ago, guys. So it's in September 2022. So it was a year before the genocide happened. It's like I felt when I was thinking about this the other day, I'm like this love timing. Yeah. I was like, this was meant to be there. And because so much appropriation is happening. It's always been happening, right? But for me, it was really important to have my book have the word Palestine on the front page on the cover. Dine in Palestine. And which essentially that means is these are foods that you would find throughout Palestine if you dine in Palestine, right? I'm so happy that that's out there as a way of just like, hey, like this exists. These exist. They've been existing. And our stories date back decades and decades. Like, we're not going anywhere. We're gonna keep fighting. I think that was perfect timing. And I mean, so many people did not have my books in their homes and the libraries, and I mean, all over the world. And it's like, wow. And I don't, I don't acknowledge um myself like that too much. But then I have friends who tell me, like, no, you should. Like, you did great work for the community. You're doing all these things, and you should be proud of it. I'm working on it. Yeah. I think that's what this whole podcast is to celebrate Palestinian women doing really cool, awesome things. Yeah. Um, and their contributions to Palestinian culture. Our community and Palestinian women are doing it. Like that's who we are. We are resilient, resilient people and like powerful people. I think she's just in our blood. It is. It's in the olive oil we drank, in our blood and everything. Going back to when you said about how your book came out at literally the perfect timing, it gave me chills because I think when you feel kind of down and unsure of how to navigate social media and your career, especially now with the genocide, you could always lean back on subhanAllah look at that timing of when your book came out. Yeah. And this is Allah's way of saying you need to be here. This is your time and place for you to do this. And you need to show the world that this is what Palestinian food is. SubhanAllah, like, yeah. Alhamdulillah. I'm glad it's made an impact. Yeah, honestly, it's amazing how your work not only preserves Palestinian culture, but it also shapes the way others understand and appreciate it too. While honoring tradition is so important, food is also constantly evolving. How do you balance sharing traditional recipes while also making them your own? Listen, I'm I'm a creative. If I feel like some flavors work together, like I'll just try. That's just how I am. Like, I'll give you guys a few examples. So, for instance, in my book, I have a recipe. In the dessert section of my book, I had a lot of fun. Let's just say that. Like, I have my, you know, knafe, right? Which is authentic knafe. I didn't go doing anything crazy with that. I have whatabat, and I have umwame and all these desserts, but then I have like brownies, which is definitely not Palestinian, but I did like pomegranate molasses, teeny brownies. Well, which like has Palestinian flair. It's like reci, it's like inspired by, right? And I have like another recipe that is fruit tart, but it's uh the fruit tart using phyllo. So I I like to mix around and play around, like especially when it comes to dessert, and I think it's because I I've always had a knack for dessert and baking. Yeah. Since I worked at a bakery for 10 years, and that was really my first love. So I always I'm always creative in that department. You'll find most of my recipes, if I'm doing this kind of like fusion with, it's always in the desserts. Because I feel like it they receive it well. Yeah, I mean, I think you have more fun with I feel like okay, Knaffit, like Knaff is Knaffit. Yeah. You need to do its due diligence. And I'm actually coming out with my Knafe recipe video very soon. But I do have the blog post are already up on my website, foofuskitchen.com. But uh yeah, some stuff you can just have fun. Yeah, I love that. I mean, you you let them know though, you know, like traditionally it's made this way, but you know, not how your grandmom maybe it's not your grandmometic. It's just probably gonna be like, what is this? But you know, we can have a little fun here and there. Yeah. I love that. Yeah, it's all about finding that balance between tradition and innovation. Along the way of your journey, I'm sure there have been people who have inspired you. Is there a mentor or someone who has been a major influence in shaping your path? That's a good question. You know, I get this question asked pretty often, and typically I say my mom, and my mom is one person who has definitely paved the way for me because I learned a lot from her, from watching her, um, and her passion for food. When I really think about it too, there's a lot of people who have definitely inspired me and helped me throughout the way. My Sitis, which I personally called Theta, my tetas, both of them, my paternal and maternal uh grandmothers, definitely had had an impact on me. My fondest memories with them was always around food. My my paternal grandmother, Siti uh Nova, she um taught me how to make shishparak. And I remember her visiting us in America. She came a few times to visit, and she made it for my dad, her son. And I remember doing it together where she showed me how to make the dumplings. If you guys don't know, shishparak is like a meat dumplings in a yogurt sauce. And we always loved uh the beef with yogurt growing up, so like yogurt stews like mensaf, zarab al leban, like anything with like leban, we always loved. So when we had shush barak for the first time, we're like, this is awesome for me. Yogurt and like pasta, yeah. Like we're like, okay. But my mom's like, no, this is tedious. And she she's like, I'm not doing this kind of thing. But that stuck with me. And shish barak was one of the things that I really wanted to learn myself when I had my food blog so I could share with others and preserve it because it's not something that you could find readily. Yeah, if if you don't have that person teaching you, it's very hard. So that's one of the recipes that I remember doing with her. And then my my maternal grandmother, Sati Fathiya, he was she would just force food down my throat. She would just like eat, eat, eat. That was her way. I'm telling you, that shows like my mom's mom, that's how my mom is, and that's how I am, you know. I don't push people, like, okay, if you're full, you're full. I'm not gonna force you to eat more, but it's part of the culture. She always made sure we were well fed. And one of the dishes that I always think of when I think of her, um, only at Ham Hom, by the way, they all passed within the last like two, three years. So sorry for your loss, Yafa. Thank you. No, I mean, handullah, you know, they lived rich lives and they and they've played an impact. And here I am talking about them, right? So they she taught me how to make sniat lahme, or she would call it raspur. So I have both recipes on my blog honoring them. Um yeah, so that that's the dish she would make every time we came from the airport, and we would come to her house uh because we would stay with her. Yeah, so Fawn's fond memories. Alhamdulillah. I love that. I love that the two people who you would consider your mentors and inspirations are your Sithis, your tethas. Yeah, I mean, in that moment, I probably didn't think that now when I look back, I'm like, they played a part. I just didn't know it. That's why that's why this podcast is Siti Stories, is because I just feel like there's such an honor. It's so important for us to pay our homage to our grandparents, especially our grandmothers. They're the reasons why we are here today. They're the reasons why like we have preserved our culture. The reason why we want to continue to preserve our culture is to kind of hold on to like our relationships with them and our identity that we learned through them. So I love that. It's so fitting that those are two of your mentors. There's something so powerful about the wisdom and strength they pass down. That support is crucial. It really highlights the importance of creating spaces where women can uplift and empower one another. How do you think we can go about creating more of those spaces? I think as women, we're very hard on ourselves. Definitely. You know, and I think it's okay to ask for help, which is another thing that we don't often do. So I think we could start there by asking for help or seeking guidance and hoping that the person that you do ask is receptive and being okay with maybe them not being receptive, right? But if you come to me, I will help you. I'll always do my best. Just finding safe spaces in your community, whether that be in a group of women at the masjid or a group of friends or relatives, or even somebody that you follow and admire and maybe you could get in touch with. So yeah, as for like a space, I feel like you make that space. You know what's really cool is that you are part of making that space. In your demos and in your classes, and in your live events, you are congregating these women who all have something in common and yeah, all want to learn and grow. Maybe they want to try food. I don't know. Everyone's coming for the free food. That's kind of enticing. Yeah. I think it's really cool that you were able to do that. What's a lesson that you've learned in the kitchen that applies to life outside of cooking? I'm not a patient person. I'll say that. I'm not a patient person. This is something that I'm really working on, my patience and just being okay with what it is, right? Like I'm like I said, hard on myself. I want things, and you even called me a perfectionist. Borderline, there is some that perfectionism there. So I'm learning to just not be all those things. And in the kitchen, you have to not be all those things. So I really try to just enjoy myself. Enjoy myself, put my best foot forward, do the best that I can do in that moment and let it be, you know, and just enjoy the process. Cooking doesn't have to be stressful. A lot of people tell me cooking stresses me out. Well, you know, when you're cooking for like a 20 person assume that's like sometimes it stresses me out. I'm like, I'm about to cater. Like, I don't want to do this, you know, especially when you have two little babies and this and that. Like, it's okay. And that's what I mean. It's okay. Like, my mom would never. Yeah. Okay. My mom would never. But I'm just like, mom, disposable plates and catering. Yeah, that would be me. It it the kitchen taught me that you need to just sometimes be okay with whatever it is. Just let go. You're not always gonna be able to be a perfectionist. I failed many times I my own recipes sometimes because I was rushing it or I got distracted, so I burned it. And you know what? It's okay. Like, I'll follow my own recipes, guys. I don't have them all memorized, right? And they'll come out good, right? And then there's times when I really like put effort and passion and I have time. I'm like, oh my god, like this is good. I'm like, this is the best time I've ever made it, even though I followed the same instructions, right? But it's like subhanAllah, your nips plays a big role. Yeah. I mean, you have to have passion for it. Yeah. What would you tell other women or like younger girls who want to pursue the same route that you're taking? Like food blogging. Yeah. Start. And one thing that you should definitely do is create a niche for yourself. Um, that's that's my recommendation. Like, for instance, with me, it's Palestinian cooking, but it's also like approachable cooking. Um, and I always recommend that you do what you're best at and you go from there, kind of thing, and you build a niche. Like you're not gonna grow right away, and hey, if you do great for you, but that's not always how it works. It took me years of grinding to get to where I am, right? Um, so you just have to start, and if it's something that you love, you're just gonna have to show up every day for it and put the time that you can into it, you know. And what's it's such a blessing for me to have Fofa's Kitchen and to be owner of Foof's Kitchen and be able to work on my own time, especially with little as a mom. Yeah, yeah, as a mom. So I'm so fortunate, so grateful. I feel super blessed to be honest with you. And you guys could all achieve that too. You just and there's room for everybody. Yeah. There's so much um competition, but it we're all different. Like none of us are the same. We might have similar backgrounds and similar recipes and even similar stories, but still, our recipes might be a little bit different, or you know, the story might be different, or whatever it might be, but there's gonna be overlap, but that doesn't mean that you don't share your recipe, you don't share your story. You just have to go for it and just be authentic and true to yourself and just start. You just have to start and learn, and then you have to learn along the way, you know, and invest in yourself. You know what I love about Palestinian food is that like you just said, there is well everything, but no, there is space for everyone because each person's bed makes something completely different. It's the same dish, but one person adds lemon, the other person adds meat, and the other person, it's yeah, completely different. Oh, yeah, and there could be fights over them. Yeah, I'm like, oh, that's how you make this. There's just so many different ways of making it. We're not all gonna make it exactly alike. Like I bake my vegetables for Makanuobe, I don't fry them. A healthier twistante. Healthier, but honestly, this greasy, I prefer it. Yeah, that's the thing. Like, you learn what you prefer. You learn as you go, and I'm sure there's so many things you've learned along the way. If you could go back and tell your 13-year-old self some advice, what would you tell her? So, to my younger self, be patient. I'd definitely say be patient. And it's okay to say no. I'm a people pleaser. Guys, don't take advantage of me. I'm a people pleaser, but not anymore. Not anymore, no. Now I I know my worth, I know what I'm able to do and what I'm not able to do. You know, and I think having children made me realize that. And yeah, so I would tell myself, learn, be patient, and learn to say no. Because I had a very hard time with those two things. What would you want to say or remind yourself of in five years? Trust in Allah's plan. I love that. You can never go wrong with that. No, you can't. You can't, so I default to that. Trust in Allah's plan, because sometimes things don't look the way you want, or you feel like you're not heading where you should be by now, but you have no idea what's in store for you, even a minute from now. So it's like just just ride the wave. Do your best and ride and see what Allah has in store for you. I think you have to be mature enough to understand that concept. Yeah. It was this is a much recent discovery, you know, or you know it, but you don't really think of it. And now it's just like life experiences teach you. So it's something that I'm dead, like you get you really do get wiser with age. It's so true to that. So yeah. I love that. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your story, your passion for food. Thank you for having me. It's been a great, great talk, honestly. So nice to see like all the different ways that you've been able to preserve Palestinian culture. Was before we go, can you let our listeners know where they can find your recipes and follow your culinary journey? Yeah, so um I do have my website, my blog, which is fufuskitchen.com, and I share all my recipes on there, really. And then I have an Arab cooking course online as well that you could find through my blog. And then I have my cookbook, Dine in Palestine, which is available wherever books are sold. And then I have my social media. So it's at Fufu's Kitchen or at Foo Foo in the Kitchen for most of them. So Instagram is at FooFoo in the Kitchen. Do you have anything coming up in person or any new projects? Always, there's always work happening. There are a few things coming up. Um, inshallah, in February, uh, towards the end of February before Ramadan, I will be doing two events, two fundraising events. So keep on the lookout for that. I can't really share much details now, but you don't want to miss it. Um, it's gonna be for a great cause. And in April for uh Arab Heritage Month, I will be at uh Frankfurt Library, Darien Library, Naperville Library as of now. Dates will come out soon as well. And my website is getting a little makeover. It's nice to every now and then just change things up a bit, right? And make your site better, make the SEO better, and all these things and invest in yourself. The site is gonna reflect my identity more. Yeah, you're gonna see more of my Palestinian identity through my site. Possibly a new logo. Oh, I'm so excited. My logo is just like a rolling pin with Fuva's kitchen on it, right? And it was something that was just done amateurely the day before launching a blog because I needed a logo. So I just did whatever. Um, my husband's friend did it for us. It's been what almost six, seven years now. It's time for a new, like, you know, not identity, but for me to really portray what I do and what I am. Reclaim your narrative. Yeah, love that. Yeah, reclaim your narrative. So you're gonna see my logo and my site reflect more of who Fufu is a Fufu's kitchen represents. So I'm so excited about that. I'm so excited for you. I'm sure everyone is going to love it. I hope so. So, to our listeners, until next time, salam. Salam! Thank you for joining us on this episode of Siddhi's Stories. Food and cooking are such an important part of Palestinian culture. They are more than just meals, they're a way to preserve our history, bring people together, and pass down traditions. I encourage you to find a loved one, a friend, or even a neighbor to cook with and keep those connections alive. If you're looking for inspiration, be sure to follow along with Haifa's incredible recipes. I've linked the recipes that were special to her and her tetas down below in the description. If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who would love it too. You can connect with us on Instagram at Sithis Stories and also on our website, cithisstories.com. Until next time, may we continue to gather and preserve the stories of our sitis. Mahasilema.