About Luay Ghafari

Hey everyone! I’m Luay Ghafari, the creator, recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Urban Farm and Kitchen, a blog dedicated to fresh garden-to-table, Levantine and Mediterranean recipes.

Luay Ghafari holding a broccoli in a garden.
Photo of Luay Ghafari in a kitchen.

At a Glance

  • Key Areas of Expertise: Recipe development, food and garden content creation, photography, and videography. Urban gardening, intensive planting, edible garden design and garden education.
  • Experience: 12 years of garden to table cooking, storytelling and content creation for Urban Farm and Kitchen (both on this website and social media). Garden content creation for CBC Life. Author of Seed to Table.
  • Formal Education: Bachelors of Engineering, Minor in Business, McGill University.
  • Career Background: Business Development.
  • Current Location: Toronto, Canada.
  • Family: I live with my Husband and our two cats, George and Oliver.

Why did I start Unban Farm and Kitchen?

I have always been passionate about fresh seasonal produce and recipes. It all started with a CSA (community-supported agriculture) box I subscribed to in 2009. Since then, my passion for cooking and growing food has grown by leaps and bounds.

I initially started this blog as a way to share my experiences, knowledge and recipes with my social media followers. Since then, my audience has grown beyond social media. Home gardeners and cooks from all over the world have made my recipes and I am grateful for their feedback and support.

Read more about Urban Farm and Kitchen, including our editorial guidelines and mission statement.

Backyard garden from above.
Photo of Luay Ghafari with a stack of books.

Cooking Philosophy

My approach to cooking centers on these core beliefs:

  • Ingredient respect. Each component (veggie, spice, herb) is given attention, whether harvested fresh or sourced locally.
  • Cultural roots + seasonal lens. I draw on my Levantine and Eastern Mediterranean heritage, marrying tradition with seasonal, garden-driven creativity.
  • Flavor first, fuss second. I aim for recipes that are bold in taste but not overwhelming in technique.
  • Preservation as extension. Cooking and preserving are part of the same ecosystem: to enjoy your garden’s bounty year-round, you need both.
  • Connection & generosity. Food is a way to connect — with culture, with others, with nature — and my hope is that the dishes and stories here create those bridges.

As Seen In (Media Mentions and Contributions)

My work, stories, and recipes have been featured or cited in:

My Book: Seed to Table

In 2023, I published my first book, Seed to Table: A Seasonal Guide to Organically Growing, Cooking, and Preserving Food at Home. It was one of the highlights of my career.

This book has been a true labor of love and represents everything I am passionate about:

  • Growing healthy, beautiful and abundant gardens.
  • Garden-to-table recipes
  • Preserving the harvest
Jpeg of book cover, Seed to Table, with a top-down view of salads on the cover.

It was named one of the 18 Best Cookbooks for Beginners in 2023 by Tasting Table.

It was also an Amazon #1 New Release and Best Seller in several categories including Organic Gardening, Vegetable Gardening, Herbs, and Organic Cooking!

More About Luay

Why focus on Levantine food?

Growing up as an immigrant in Canada, I shunned my culture’s cuisine in favor of more mainstream or Western dishes. This was perhaps a way for me to assimilate into my new home or feel like I belonged in a country that was unfamiliar and new… A common refrain among many first-generation immigrants.

When we see our cultural foods viewed as inferior, cheap or relegated to “fast food”, it’s difficult to feel pride in the ingredients, spices and aromas. We’re conditioned at a young age to think of French or Italian food as the pinnacle of high class. This is a very Eurocentric view of the world that I once believed in.

I no longer feel this way. I am here to celebrate and spotlight the centuries of tradition, the flavors, aromas and emotions that my mother’s and grandmother’s recipes have to offer with fresh and seasonal ingredients.

Do you have culinary training?

Though I am mostly self-taught in the kitchen and my formal educational background is in Engineering (Bachelor of Engineering), I did enroll in the George Brown College Culinary Arts program and took evening courses to help me level up. The recipes on this blog feature my favorite seasonal ingredients, my Middle Eastern (Levantine) upbringing and my love for fresh and vibrant Mediterranean cuisine.

Why is gardening and growing food so important to you?

Growing food and cooking food are interconnected and interdependent. As the saying goes, farmers feed cities. Not only do feed cities but without them, we wouldn’t have recipe blogs.  As a food grower and garden educator myself I have made it my mission to teach people about the importance of growing food.

Some may think this is an outdated skill but I think nothing could be farther from the truth. This is why I am so passionate about gardening education and teach a Master Class to help urban and suburban gardeners grow their own food.

How can we connect with you?

I am active on social media. Find me on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Pinterest. You can also email me at luay @ urbanfarmandkitchen.com. I look forward to connecting with you!
 
For business inquiries or to request a Media Kit, feel free to email me directly or check out my business page for more information about previous partnerships. I have worked with many amazing brands including Vitamix, Metro Ontario, Kubota, Daily Harvest and more.

A Few of My Top Recipes

I started this blog to help people learn how to grow, cook and preserve their food. If you’re reading this right now, I want to thank you for being here. It’s truly an honor for me to share my passion, knowledge and recipes with you!