We partner with some incredible local talents for our classes and some of our retail selections. In our ongoing Extended Family series, we want to showcase their work and provide a glimpse inside their personal story

With all our classes, demos and recipe testing, we go through a lot of olive oil and spices. We are obsessed with the products from Villa Jerada, and are adding new items from their line-up all the time. Argan Almond butter anyone?  Drop by the store to check them out!

Let’s start out with the basics, where are you from and what do you do?

I was  born and raised in Casablanca Morocco and  moved to Seattle 15 years ago. I am the founder of Villa Jerada. We are importers, makers and distributors of well curated and executed pantry items from Morocco and the Levant region.

What do you love about your job/business?

I love the relationship with all the chefs we work with. I also love contributing as much as we can to a better way of eating though advocating ancient and culturally valid food preparation yet approachable.

How long have you been in business?

7 years

How did your business evolve since its beginning?

It started as an importing company turned into an artisanal food maker in Seattle.

 
What cookbook do you reference most often (in general or just lately)?

My favorite cook books are all given to me by my mom:

-La cuisine juive Marocaine.

-La cuisine Marocaine.

They are at least 35 years old and when I moved to the US she gave them to me.

If you could take any cooking class, what would it be?

Vietnamese  cooking