Great Grandma Shafeeka & Great Grandpa Mahmoud came here from their respective small villages in Lebanon and though Shafeeka never learned to read, she taught her kids well and was an incredible cook. Even though she never consumed meat because of her religion, she would cook lamb or kibble nayyeh and would make it perfectly just from memory and scent. She was an innately intuitive cook both by nature and necessity.

Grandma Charlcie was one of 14 kids raised on a farm in rural Kentucky. Her job around the farm was to catch the chickens in the morning, place them on the chopping block, and after, to clean them and prepare them for fried chicken with honey and biscuits. She loved words, reading, education, and was known for wearing her fur coat and diamonds even to the grocery store when she was older. Her Strawberry Shortcake was legendary and even still, our family makes her recipes for Shrimp Creole, Biscuits & Cream Gravy and her Chicken and Dumplings!