ABOUT THE CHEF
Hey, I’m Akram. I’m a Yemeni-American chef, born and raised in Mesquite, Texas—a quiet little town where I never quite fit the mold. I struggled a lot growing up: school wasn’t my thing, I was always getting into trouble, and for a while, it felt like I was just drifting through life with no real direction.
That changed when my mother—may she rest in peace—suggested I go to culinary school. I had never cooked before, but something about that moment felt different. It was the first time she asked me to do something big, and I couldn’t let her down. So I said yes. And somehow, I fell in love with it. I graduated in the top 10% of my class, which still surprises me to this day.
After that, I moved to New York City and worked in some of the top fine dining restaurants—Michelin-starred kitchens, intense hours, the whole thing. For a while, I thought that was the dream. But it wasn’t until I lost my mother in 2020, when she passed away in Yemen, that my relationship with food changed forever.
I went back to Yemen to be with family, and for the first time, I saw the food I grew up with in a completely new way. The flavors, the stories, the history—it all hit differently. I realized I had spent years chasing fancy food while overlooking the beauty of my own culture’s dishes. That experience sparked something in me. I started learning everything I could about Yemeni cuisine, especially from my mother’s side of the family. It became my way of mourning, healing, and reconnecting—with her, with my roots, and with myself.
Seeing Yemen through the eyes of a chef opened something up in me. The food I used to overlook growing up? I became obsessed. Learning recipes from my aunts, reliving old memories through flavors—it was my way of holding on to her. And now, that’s what this blog is about. Yemeni food, through my eyes. From my kitchen to yours.
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