Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen Host Highlights Her PBS Cooking Show & Award-Winning Cookbook
Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen Host Highlights Her PBS Cooking Show & Award-Winning Cookbook
“The summer of 2007 I stayed a month-long visit with my mom’s mom in Lebanon. It was there that I found my calling, and thought, I am going to teach people how to make Lebanese and Mediterranean cuisine. There was very little representation of my culture’s cuisine here in the U.S, so off I went!”
Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen has been nominated for a number of Hollywood Taste Awards including Best Food Program on Television, Best Chef in a Series, and Best Brand New Series. Sageer was awarded the “Spotlight Special Achievement Award”, after her series gained popularity.
With Lebanese culture imbedded in her life, Sageer “was living, breathing, and eating Lebanese, and I really wanted it to come from an authentic place. From my grandmother to my mom to me.”
Following her cooking series, Sageer released her cookbook, Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen, which was awarded the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for the Best Mediterranean Cookbook in the United States.
“I feel that it is a culmination of my ten years. I wanted to be able to create the best Lebanese and Mediterranean cookbook. I wanted to include all star recipes and some other recipes from my grandmother in Lebanon, just things you might not see and some hidden gems. Every one of the recipes has a special story” says Sageer.
Sageer brings her rich Lebanese culture into the kitchen and shares it with her audience for authentic Mediterranean dishes. Pulling from her culture, Sageer receives the most inspiration from her mother, Mama, who often makes a guest appearance, and assists her in the kitchen and in the garden, “My mother is my mentor and my master chef, she taught me everything I know. She is very involved with teaching me the right way to cook Lebanese. She grows this abundant and beautiful garden, it is a labor of love for her. She grows everything under the sun and I am able to source my ingredients for the show and the book.”
Sageer takes her show out of the studio and into her Mama’s garden, where fresh ingredients are brought into the kitchen and transformed into flavorful Lebanese creations. Sageer’s motto is , “fresh is best!”, and truly transforms wholesome foods into her cooking. “My mom always had a garden ever since I was a baby. We had orchards in Lebanon, and everything was homegrown, so it is inherent. Fresh food really fuels you and gives you great energy. It really made sense to make that part of my brand,” says Sageer.
Visit here to purchase a copy of Julie Ann Sageer’s cookbook and watch episodes of Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen.