About Zeina
Preparing healthy, delicious food is my passion! I always say, “Where there’s food, there’s love!” and that’s exactly how I feel whenever I cook meals or bake sourdough bread or another special treat for my husband, Robert, and our three now grown sons. I also love to welcome the rest of my family and friends – including the new ones I make through my classes – with nutritious yummy food.
Growing up I always thought I would have a career in cooking. I was pretty much raised in the kitchen where my parents were always preparing wonderful Mediterranean food for our household. They started to teach me their kitchen skills when I was eight years old.
Thanks to my aunt, who recognized my skills at cutting hair and delighting people, I have spent a lot of my working years as a hair stylist. I love making people feel great about how they look! Yet, my passion for preparing good food never diminished. In my early 40s I actually ran a catering business for about five years, making fresh homestyle meals for busy families.
Seven years ago, I started Zeina’s Kitchen to offer cooking classes to share my kitchen techniques and tricks for making delicious, healthy food in almost no time with others. I also invited my husband, Robert, to share his extensive knowledge and passion for wine in tasting sessions.
Robert loves to learn everything he can about the world’s different wine regions and what their terroir and traditions can produce. After successfully completing a number of courses, he is now a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.
Together we have been offering a range of cooking, wine-tasting, as well as wine-and-food pairing classes in person and online for the general public, private groups, as well as corporate events. We have met and connected with a lot of wonderful people in the process and continue to enjoy food preparation and wine discovery with a number of them on a regular basis.
My love for food has also taken me to some interesting places, such as Costa Rica. I served as the chef preparing all the meals for some 15 to 20 women during a 7-day retreat for three consecutive years. It was such a delight that I decided to organize some weekend retreats closer to home. I have co-hosted these mini-getaways with different self-care and wellness specialists and a range of workshop, including yoga, meditation and Spirit card reading. I prepared all the delicious, healthy meals, of course!
As I get older, food as a source of healthy living has never been more important to me and my family. It’s also why I feel more passionate than ever about wanting to share my nutritious, relatively easy but delicious homestyle cooking skills and tips with others. I hope I have the chance to help you to achieve your health and culinary goals in a friendly, cozy, fun setting!
