How have you settled into the Australian way of life ?
To be honest , food was the key . It was great to build a new life from scratch with new friends and people around me who made me feel like family . I used food as a tool to connect me with people here .
We ’ re keen to hear a bit more about your experience on MasterChef and what that taught you .
It was amazing and eye opening . I learnt a lot of new skills from fellow and past contestants about different cuisines , styles of cooking and traditions . You just keep learning and that ' s amazing . I was so grateful to be able to connect with all of those people and learn about their food experiences .
Tell us what inspired you to start Sassi Ice Cream and why it ' s important to you .
I love to connect with people and food is really powerful in doing that . I love ice cream and my kids always ask for ice cream , so I thought , why not share my love with people and create something I would love to eat ? I wanted to add the flavours and stories of my background and share it with the world . It ’ s kind of like creating a bridge between our life here in Australia and our memories and lovely moments with extended family back in Saudi . I have seven flavours , they are all Middle Eastern inspired , and each flavour has a story behind it that we connect to . At this stage , we do markets and private catering , but one of my goals is to set up a shopfront for Sassi .
We love to ask cooks and chefs about their favourite pantry staples and kitchen gadgets , what are yours ?
My favourite pantry staple has to be olive oil . Olive oil is my best friend in the kitchen ! Part of my tradition is that we use olive oil for our skin , hair and beauty … and obviously food . For a kitchen gadget , it has to be a really good chef knife . It makes your cooking life totally different - more fun , easier and really enjoyable . It ’ s something you look forward to using . Otherwise , if you struggle with a bad knife , then even chopping a tomato is a headache .
What ’ s next for you ?
I ' m a dreamer . My short-term goals are to create Sassi Ice Cream packages and for Sassi Ice Cream to hit the supermarket shelves . Hopefully I will also find a way to run mindful eating sessions or programmes with kids and adults . My long term goal is to create my own cook book .
© Dietitian Connection 47 Infuse | May 2021