Anissa Helou on Sicily, Her Mother, and the Politics of Food

It’s late Monday afternoon in Sicily, and Anissa Helou is poised and pronounced in her trademark crisp white shirt and cat-eye glasses. The gorgeous home that she lives in along the Mediterranean coast is filled with light, even as the evening hours fast approach. The iconic Syrian-Lebanese chef, author, and blogger says she fills her days with walks to the market or local grocery store, experimenting with new recipes, brainstorming ideas for her books, and occasionally cooking for very lucky guests. While she prepares meals from her kitchen counter, she has a view of the sea to her right. It is a serene and idyllic life. But the decades-long journey that brought her from Beirut to the Italian island is punctuated by twists and turns that are yet to be documented in a memoir. In this interview, conducted via Zoom in June of 2023, I ask Helou questions that prompt her to reflect on that path, touching on everything from her thoughts on food and feminism to her favorite utensils and most vivid culinary memories.