When I was still living in Lebanon, we were used to sharing delicious home-cooked food with my aunts, uncles, cousins almost every weekend. I grew up in that warm family atmosphere and these happy childhood memories form the basis of my own passion for cooking and of my sacred belief that cooking and sharing a good meal with loved ones is one of the essences of life! When I arrived in Belgium, I realized how much I missed those warm weekly family moments. In an attempt to convey that same cozy family atmosphere to my Belgian family and circle of friends, I decided to follow in the footsteps of my aunts and to immerse myself in Lebanese Mediterranean cooking. It was both a kind of therapy and a revelation to me, and I fully enjoyed the growing appreciation of my Belgian family and friends for the charms of the Lebanese culture and cuisine. I am therefore proud that in this way I can share my cultural and family heritage with the people here. I am lucky that my husband Hans shares my passion for cooking. Through his switch to a whole plant-based diet and my own problems with Crohn's disease, I have expanded my expertise to also taking into account special dietary requirements. I can now also offer sugar-, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan alternatives for many of my dishes. In this way I hope to meet the ever-increasing diversity of those interested in my kitchen. This expansion is not that difficult, as vegetables already occupy a very central place in the Mediterranean kitchen and therefore alternatives can easily be found. I'm also not afraid to use typical Asian inspired spices to give my dishes a surprising twist. I try to introduce many variations in the preparation of the menus, whereby the input of the preferences and wishes of the customer are also very important. I often start from traditional home-made recipes as I knew them in my youth, but I also alter and improve them to please those with the most refined taste buds. We also offer a choice of tasty Lebanese wines with our dishes, which have already proven their quality in many international competitions. They are mostly from small producers and therefore, not easily accessible. Together with the dishes, the wines provide our customers with a unique culinary experience at home that is surprisingly different from the classic restaurant experience. I hope I have already convinced you to take this gastronomic trip to my cooking world and I would therefore like to welcome you “Ahlan wa sahlan” at “Angela's Catering With a twist”.
