CULTURAL HERITAGE PROJECTS
Medterra
How a single voice became one of the earliest bridges between Mediterranean and Muslim culinary traditions for a Western audience.
ROLE
Founder & Editorial Lead
DISCIPLINE
Brand, Editorial, CQ
TIMELINE
2009, Present
FEATURED IN
NYT · CNN · Forbes
01 OVERVIEW
A doorway that didn't yet exist.
In the late 2000s, there was no trusted English-language home for cooking that honored both Mediterranean tradition and halal practice. Home cooks improvised in isolation; brands had no credible voice to speak through. The opportunity was not a recipe blog, it was an act of cultural translation.
My Halal Kitchen set out to make an entire culinary worldview legible to a Western audience, without flattening it, and to do so with the warmth and authority of a trusted editor.
02 CULTURAL INSIGHT
Permission, not just instruction.
The research surfaced a quiet truth: the audience wasn't only looking for how, they were looking for permission to belong in two traditions at once. Authenticity, not novelty, was the currency. Every editorial decision flowed from that single cultural insight.
“People weren't asking for a recipe. They were asking to see themselves in the kitchen.”
03 STRATEGY & STORYTELLING
An editorial voice with a point of view.
The platform was built around a consistent editorial voice, warm, knowledgeable, never preachy, and a visual language rooted in Mediterranean light. Recipes were framed as stories of place and family, and partnerships were chosen only where they reinforced trust.
04 OUTCOMES
15yr
Sustained as a trusted authority and reference point in its category.
Global
Coverage from NYT, CNN, Forbes, and Epicurious, reaching readers worldwide.
A book
The platform's authority extended into publishing and brand consulting.
NEXT PROJECT