Hello

I spent my childhood and my teenage years living in Tehran, surrounded by a set of strong female home cooks. They, unbeknownst to me, were the ones who trained my taste buds, schooled my sense of smell, and ingrained in my memory the fundamental nature of Persian cookery and the food of the country that today we know as Iran. After moving to the US in 1974, these experiences guided my ventures to recreate authentic Persian dishes in a typical small western apartment kitchen. Soon after, these initial undertakings turned into a serious life purpose. For the past 40 or so years, I have systematically explored the history, principles, and practices of Persian cookery and Iranian food – initially as a serious side quest and for the past several years as a fulltime mission. 

 

My explorations and writings deal with historical, cultural, and social practices relating to the preparation and consumption of food within Persianate societies. I put the outcomes of my explorations into practice by recreating traditional and authentic Persian dishes in a typical modern western home kitchen, while carefully documenting the methods behind individual and classes of dishes. I am working towards an innovative Persian cookery book where accurate historical information and modern food science techniques are incorporated for modern western home kitchens, while teaching the foundational techniques of Persian cookery. My academic and professional background is in science, engineering, and technology, which allows me to incorporate a structured and scientific approach into my passion and into this project. 

 

I received my PhD from Cornell University in 1982. I am a retired corporate executive, have taught at Cornell, Syracuse, and Princeton Universities, and have published extensively. I currently volunteer as Research Associate at the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences of University of California, Davis. I also volunteer at the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University as the Center’s Foodways Research Fellow. 

 

As summarized in the rest of this website, my culinary writings and adventures have been featured in a series on Serious Eats, showcased at culinary gatherings like the Oxford Food Symposium, published in culinary journals like Petits Propos Culinaires, and more.