About me

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.

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.

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.

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Some may think this is an outdated skill but I think nothing could be farther from the truth.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.

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.