Ring, ring, ring! The sound of the alarm wakes Kamel Elgiseer early as he partners with the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa and others to cook for the people of the St.Patrick Catholic Church of Iowa City.
“My favorite part is building a recipe and testing it out by cooking it and finding out whether it is perfect or still needs some changes,” Kamel said.
Trial and error is one of the most important parts of cooking for Kamel. On today’s menu, he is preparing crispy chicken paired with rice and salad as well as za’atar (a Middle Eastern culinary herb) and a fatayer. A Middle Eastern pastry also known as a meat pie that can be filled with various things such as za’atar, cheese, and meat.
Kamel says he is very fortunate to have his wife Ameira to help him cook.
“Someone who inspired me to start cooking was probably my wife; she enjoys cooking, which led me to the hobby,” Kamal said.
Kamel and his family head to the St. Patrick Catholic Church with their pre-seasoned food. Kamel sets up his dishes in the kitchen and is greeted by a quiet, huge area. He is greeted by many familiar faces from the Center for Worker Justice.
“The biggest challenge I’ve faced is probably building recipes because it takes patience to get good results,” Kamel said
After perfecting his crispy chicken recipe through trial and error, he is ready to share his recipe with others. He has made many different dishes, but his crispy chicken is the most special to him.
“My favorite dish to cook is crispy chicken because I use such special ingredients.”
Crispy Chicken was one of the first dishes Kamel made that boosted his cooking hobby with its special blend of spices.
As the evening starts, Kamel, with the help of Ameira, starts to lay out their food and make sure it is warm and ready to be served. The aroma of the crispy chicken and fatayer spreads across the dining area, and faces turn, trying to figure out where this aroma could be coming from.
Kamel’s children are here to observe this significant part of his cooking journey.
“I was inspired to start cooking because I wanted to cook new and interesting meals for my family,” Kamel said.
Kamal hopes his cooking expands everyone’s palate. As the crispy chicken and the smell of the spices spread out through St. Patrick’s, the sound of laughter and happiness spreads across the Church, and not a frown is in sight.
“I have been cooking ever since I was a young kid, but I started cooking for large numbers of people as an adult,” Kamel said.
Beyond cooking, for large groups, Kamel is now teaching his kids how to cook and is expanding their inner love for cooking.
“I have gotten a lot of opportunities like cooking for Johnson County and non-profit organizations and numerous churches,” Kamel said.
Beyond the flavors, Kamel loves serving people. He greets everyone with a smile. Kamel believes the opportunity to serve someone is very valuable and he plans to continue bringing Middle Eastern cuisine to more events in the future.
