Barbara Abdeni Massaad was born in Beirut, Lebanon. She moved to Florida at a young age and gained culinary experience while helping her father in the family-owned Lebanese restaurant Kebabs and Things. After moving back to Lebanon in 1988, she entered university and gained a degree in Advertising/Marketing. She worked for an array of respected institutions, then decided to pursue her passion for cooking. Determined to gain proper experience within the culinary world, Barbara trained with several renowned chefs at Lebanese, Italian, and French restaurants.
Her first book is called, “Man’oushé: Inside the Street Corner Lebanese Bakery,” winner of the Gourmand Cookbook Award 2009 and The Lebanese Academy of Gastronomy 2009.
Her next book, “Mouneh: Preserving Foods for the Lebanese Pantry,” was the winner of the Gourmand Cookbook Award 2010 and Prix de la literature Gastronomique 2010. Her third book is called, “Mezze: A Labor of Love.”
