One Toronto woman’s quest to elevate her culture’s cuisine and raise money for charity

I grew up surrounded by good cooks, but I only started cooking seriously in my mid-twenties. I’m Iranian and my family would always make elaborate dinners to bring people together. I was born in Tehran, but we moved to Toronto when I was 12. When I was in my mid-twenties, my mother moved to the states and my father moved back to Iran, which meant I was living alone for the first time ever. I missed both my family and the meals, so I started cooking for my friends. I have a friendsgiving tradition, for instance, that involves a huge turkey and as many as 20 side dishes.