Nadia Tommalieh is a Palestinian immigrant and a daughter of a refugee who grew up in a family of passionate cooks, who valued traditional Arabic cuisine and kept it alive from generation to generation. She always longed for relatives and friends’ gatherings, the spirited chaos of her family kitchen, and the bountiful spread of food. And as a blogger and instructor, she has been determined to preserve the culture and spread it further.

For Nadia, authentic ingredients are essential for replicating the recipes of her childhood, and she strives to find reliable sources for them here in Seattle. In her free time, Nadia enjoys teaching cooking on a budget for communities in need, traveling with her family to new places (and experiencing their authentic cuisines), and attending to her garden — and she always has time to squeeze in a run. At the Pantry she teaches classes focusing on Palestinian cuisine, while keeping us connected to several nonprofits as our Community Outreach Coordinator.