BARBARA MASSAAD, AWARD WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL GOURMAND COOKBOOK AWARD
Quote/Unquote: You disarm anyone through food.
Born in Lebanon, Barbara Massaad is an award-winning author who is on a constant culinary journey. Recipient of the International Gourmand Cookbook Award, Barbara has a talent for combining the traditional with her infinite passion for food. She inherited her passion from her father, a professional photographer, while helping him at Kebab&Things, their family owned Lebanese restaurant in Florida, USA. Fascinated by the culinary world, she later trained under several renowned chefs in Lebanese, Italian and French restaurants.
Her first book, “Man’oushé: Inside the Street Corner”, published in December 2005, focuses on Lebanon’s favorite snack and is dedicated entirely to the art of creating the perfect man’oushé. It won the Gourmand Cookbook Award 2009 and The Lebanese Academy of Gastronomy 2009. Her second book, “Mouneh”, goes to the heart of Lebanese life, documenting traditions, recipes and rituals in order to ensure their survival. It won the Gourmand Cookbook Award 2010 and Prix de la literature 2010.
She continued her quest to discover and preserve Lebanon’s culinary heritage with her third book “Mezze a labor of love” and with the help of artist Pascale Hares, they created a new vision of food culture, a book filled with amazing illustrations.
“Soup for Syria” is her latest book. Its mission is to help Syrian refugees. For it, Barbara has dedicated her time and energy to bring together cookbook authors and chefs from all over the world to contribute recipes, creating a beautifully illustrated cookbook of delicious soups for every occasion.
Barbara is a founding member of “Slow Food Beirut”, a delegate of the International Terra Madre Community and Slow Food Italy. She also hosts a weekly TV segment and is a contributing editor for local and international publications.