Somali cook and food journalist Hawa Hassan shares the importance of stories and the inspiration behind her award-winning cookbook. This week on Food Network Obsessed, Hawa Hassan talks to host Jaymee Sire about how her Somali roots have shaped her food perspective and the path she planned to get to where she is today. Hawa shares the process of developing her own line of sauces, influenced by traditional Somali recipes, and how that provided a springboard for her to dive into creating her cookbook, In Bibi’s Kitchen. Hawa shares the process of gathering research, recipes and photography for the cookbook and why she decided to take a maternal point of view to share the foods and dishes that remind her of home. She talks about filming her new Cooking Channel show, Spice of Life, and what spice of life personally means to her before sharing her favorite New York spots to get African cuisine.
Somali cook and food journalist Hawa Hassan shares the importance of stories and the inspiration behind her award-winning cookbook. This week on Food Network Obsessed, Hawa Hassan talks to host Jaymee Sire about how her Somali roots have shaped her food perspective and the path she planned to get to where she is today. Hawa shares the process of developing her own line of sauces, influenced by traditional Somali recipes, and how that provided a springboard for her to dive into creating her cookbook, In Bibi’s Kitchen. Hawa shares the process of gathering research, recipes and photography for the cookbook and why she decided to take a maternal point of view to share the foods and dishes that remind her of home. She talks about filming her new Cooking Channel show, Spice of Life, and what spice of life personally means to her before sharing her favorite New York spots to get African cuisine.
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Find episode transcript here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/hawa-hassan-on-creating-in-bibis-kitchen-her-spice-of-life
[MUSIC PLAYING] JAYMEE SIRE: Hello, hello and welcome to Food Network Obsessed. This is the podcast where we dish on all things Food Network with your favorite Food Network stars. I'm your host, Jaymee Sire, and I cannot wait for you to hear my conversation today with someone who is incredibly inspiring.
She talks about her journey from being a Somali immigrant in Seattle to her modeling career in New York City, her gorgeous cookbook that was named one of the best cookbooks of the year by The New Yorker. She's a Somali cook, food journalist, and cookbook author who you can find in the new Cooking Channel show, Spice of Life. Let's welcome Hawa Hassan.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hawa, welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?
HAWA HASSAN: I am well, and I am pretty warm here in New York.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: Yes, it is toasty. For those listening who don't know, you are a Somali immigrant from Seattle. And I'm curious how that move to the US really shaped your point of view on food and cooking and the career that you've built for yourself?
HAWA HASSAN: I think for a very long time I felt very other growing up in Seattle, maybe the first three years of my life. I knew I was really different from everyone around me. It wasn't until I got to middle school I had a sense of my Africanness because for so long I was just a Somali girl by way of Kenya living in Seattle.
But once I got into middle school and met a larger community from East Africa that's when I felt more at home. But the place that has really taught me about my roots and brought me back to myself the most really has been New York because it's such a melting pot. And more than just the continent of Africa. I've met Korean people who have similar stories to me. I've met Cambodian people who have similar stories to me.
And so that for me makes me feel like I'm part of a larger group of people that makes sense. But in Seattle for a while there, it was really isolating, and then it felt like home, and now to me New York feels like the base of who I am.
JAYMEE SIRE: It seems from just reading about all of your interests and everything that telling those stories is really important to you. Why is that?
HAWA HASSAN: I think telling stories is really important to me because it's so obvious to me that we're a lot more like than we are not. And I think that the fastest way to get to that point is to point out our similarities and not our differences. And my medium just happens to be food.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: I think that's a really beautiful way to look at it and present it. I know as a teenager, you had also started modeling and ultimately decided that was not for you. Why was that and what made that switch to food for you?
HAWA HASSAN: I always get into things with an end goal.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: That's smart.
HAWA HASSAN: Like I move into a new place I'm like, OK, how long can you see yourself here? Same is true with even the relationships I have in my life, it's like, this is a forever best friend, this is a neighborhood friend, et cetera, et cetera. Again, I think that comes from the way I grew up and needing to always have a plan for myself and creating structures since I didn't have any.
But I got into modeling thinking that in my mid-20s I would become an ambassador for people who had inadequate support systems, displaced people. So I thought I would go back to college or maybe modeling would propel me into a space that would allow that for me. And it wasn't until 2014 when I went to Norway and I was complaining to my mom about just how out of place I felt in modeling and how I wasn't using my full self that I realized, OK, it's time to go.
[LAUGHTER]
This pivot that I had in mind was never going to come unless I forced it. And so I feel what I'm doing now in the way that I bring myself to work in the way that I share almost all of my experiences really speaks to who I am and what I've always wanted to do even when I was modeling.
JAYMEE SIRE: And you said in 2014 when you had this realization and that was when you founded your company, Basbaas Sauce, right? Am I saying it correctly?
HAWA HASSAN: Absolutely.
JAYMEE SIRE: It's a sauce and condiment company. It's inspired by your Somali roots. In fact, it translates to chili in Somali, right?
HAWA HASSAN: That's right.
JAYMEE SIRE: That's so cool. Well, everything from like tamarind, deep sauce, coconut, cilantro, chutney, everything sounds very mouthwatering, flavorful. What was the process developing and perfecting these recipes and then making them scalable for retail?
HAWA HASSAN: I would say that probably the number one thing that got me to even the process was my naiveness. The fact that I thought I could do it.
JAYMEE SIRE: Sometimes that's helpful.
HAWA HASSAN: That really propelled me into like, OK, no weapon formed against me shall prosper.
[LAUGHTER]
But I would say the very first thing I did was I left New York. So when I was in Norway, for once in my life I had this place where I felt very taken care of and felt really coddled actually. And I hadn't felt that in a very long time, so I had space to just think and be. And so the idea, that part I think was the very first part of the process for me.
And when I returned home to New York I rented out my apartment and moved back to Seattle. And then from September of 2014 to April of 2015, all I did was just make samples for people. So that feedback for me was really important.
And then the next big thing I did for myself is I used all of the connections and the friends I made while modeling. And I called people up and I said this is what I'm doing. Here's my business plan, here's some samples, and one thing led to another.
We got into Whole Foods. I was introduced to a commercial kitchen, which helped me scale. Then I became a bit of a scientist because I learned about pH and I learned about water in the way that it shows up in pH. I learned about things I could use to make foods that were whole.
I think finding a mentor, finding a kitchen that could help me scale, really understanding my market and my products. And then really having an idea about how to expand and how I would then show up in the food industry in order to have these conversations about not only my condiments but being an ambassador for foods from the continent, I think all of that coupled with is what got us to this point.
JAYMEE SIRE: What is the feedback been like over the course of this seven-year company, growing and learning and changing and succeeding?
HAWA HASSAN: You know Jaymee, Basbaas Sauce has a fan base like no other. But I don't really spend a lot of time on feedback. I have tunnel vision. I know the one thing that I have now is security and that I could pay my bills in ways I couldn't for the years past, but mainly a lot of support.
I think that the market is so ripe for foods from other places. I think we were in a situation for four years where people were just trying to get to good-feel stories by any means necessary, so it just was the right time. But from what I've seen and I think the way that the company has grown is just people wanting to have experiences through food.
JAYMEE SIRE: I think that's a great way to say it. Can we expect any additions to the Basbaas Sauce lineup anytime soon?
HAWA HASSAN: Absolutely. I've been saying this for some time, but now we have the right team and kitchen in place. We have five more products coming--
JAYMEE SIRE: Wow.
HAWA HASSAN: --and they will be on shelves before Christmas.
JAYMEE SIRE: That's so exciting. Congratulations.
HAWA HASSAN: Thank you.
JAYMEE SIRE: Also, congratulations in order for your beautiful cookbook, which followed your condiment line. It's called In Bibi's Kitchen-- The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean. It was released last year. Definitely, I think at a time when we all were craving connection and community a lot, what was your inspiration behind the cookbook?
HAWA HASSAN: I think it was along the lines of the condiments. I really wanted to see myself in this space and I wanted to see myself reflected in the space. And because I couldn't see that, I just created it. I know I'm saying it a lot easier than it sounds. I'm sure if anyone here has written a cookbook, they know what a daunting task that is.
[LAUGHTER]
But the main goal was just to write about home and to write from a variety of different countries through major keys because we all have a baby if we're lucky. And so I just thought what a better way to get to the actual issue than through this channel. And I can make condiments and sell them, but I absolutely love teaching people how to make these foods.
JAYMEE SIRE: It's interesting. Why do you think it was important in a good way for you to do it, to do the sauce line, the condiment line first, and then introduce the cookbook to people?
HAWA HASSAN: So I had a plan. So this was the business plan that I wrote in 2015, all of this was in there. I knew with the background I have and the people that I come from, it wasn't going to be an easy task for me to get to traditional funding. And so instead of building deeper, I decided to build wider.
So for me, the cookbook was not only a marketing tool for the condiments but also a connecting point to these foods. So now I have the space to bring about any condiment from the continent because I've done the work. I've studied, I've traveled, I've met people, I've been up service. So the book is really cut.
It was exactly what I knew I needed to see in the world. And from the emails I get from people, it seems that's a connecting point for them. But it was all lined up. It was book or condiments, book, show, more condiments.
[LAUGHTER]
Exit.
JAYMEE SIRE: I love how focus, how deliberate, and how much you just execute on all of that. You had a plan and you're following that plan. It seems to be working out pretty well for you so far. I love that the book really feels like a tribute to the matriarchs of food, the women behind these recipes that you love so much. How did their stories affect how you approach cooking today and how you approached writing this book?
HAWA HASSAN: I think before I wrote the book there was a part of me that felt-- there was even a time where I was trying to gather money to go to culinary school because this is a country that tells you you need to be a professional at something in order to be at the table.
And so I was like, in order for me to become a part of this community then I have to go to culinary school, even though I'm really comfortable cooking and I've been doing it my whole life. And what they did is they really validated my thoughts around all of that. Food is meant to be communal. Food is meant to be shared and made with love. Food is not meant to be perfection on a plate.
I love perfection on a plate, but I think I was letting all of these visuals I was receiving from magazines and Instagrams in these bright photos almost make me feel as if what I wasn't bringing to the table wasn't professional enough. And what I learned from these people is the best teachers are the ones who are of service to other people and who make themselves available and who cook from a place of love. And so that's what I really learned was that the kitchen is a sanctuary and when you come into it, you bring your best attitude and you do the best that you can.
JAYMEE SIRE: I think that's completely reflected in the book. The subjects are women, so is the photographer, who by the way did a phenomenal job. My boyfriend is a photographer. I can't wait to show him some of these images. They are incredible. Especially the cover image, I think it just really draws you in. What led you to selecting that particular photographer?
HAWA HASSAN: It's so funny. I haven't emailed the original cover that my team wanted was my hands pulling apart bread that ended up being a [NON-ENGLISH], which is like a chapati in Somali. And I was in El Salvador doing research for my next book and I was like, no, this is not the cover.
I said what I really wanted was intergenerational. I wanted travel. I wanted people to look at the book and see themselves, their grandmothers, their mothers. And so there's a lot in the book that is small but mighty to me like there's henna, there's a hijab dripping, there's cardamom being broken open, cardamom pots. So that to me felt much more reflective of what's inside the book as opposed to my hands with the same nail polish I wear all the time.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: Is that your signature? Do you wear that every time you go to the nail place or do you do your own?
HAWA HASSAN: No, every single time I go.
JAYMEE SIRE: I love it. I love it. You know what you want and you go after that. That's the theme I'm gathering from our conversation so far.
HAWA HASSAN: I'm so happy to hear this because I don't always feel that way. Thank you.
JAYMEE SIRE: If somebody is looking through this cookbook and deciding maybe what they want to cook, what are some pantry staples that they might need to really dive into some of these flavors and recipes?
HAWA HASSAN: I think just reading the spice introductions. So basic earthy spices like cumin, cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, paprika. Those things to me are, like, I always say if you could build your pantry, then you could cook anything in the world. And those are staples in my home.
JAYMEE SIRE: If there was one recipe that you would single out for somebody to try first or maybe your favorite, what would you say?
HAWA HASSAN: I would say the beef suqaar. It's made with chuck beef, an onion, cumin, turmeric, just a tad bit of water. And it gets brothy and tender very quick. It all comes together with six ingredients or less in under 30 minutes.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, wow. All right. That sounds like a good one for people to kind of get their intro. Is there another cookbook on the horizon that's part of the business plan?
HAWA HASSAN: Yeah. Well, I think I'm done with the business plan. Now that we have a team, there's Hawa and then there's the business.
[LAUGHTER]
I have another cookbook coming that is based on eight countries that have experienced civil war and displacement and what that does to food and it's examining it from the lens of people and their food.
So it's kind of returning agency to places like El Salvador and what happens when a country goes to war over farmland. We talk about Afghanistan, Libya, Liberia.
JAYMEE SIRE: Wow. That is something that you lived through yourself. Why was that an important topic for you to explore through food?
HAWA HASSAN: I think the biggest thing that I want to do is bring my full self to this industry. I think what I can offer is a unique perspective. And so in three years, my perspective might be that I'm a mom of a newborn baby who has a global taste. I don't know. Or they might only like to eat bananas and I'll write about that--
[LAUGHTER]
--which will be painful for me.
[LAUGHTER]
But I really just want to use all of me in my work. And I want my work to be informed by the person that I am today and hopefully who I hope to become. And so that's why civil war because I've lived through a civil war. That then widens the lens for me because now I get to go into Afghanistan and learn about the people of Afghanistan through food.
JAYMEE SIRE: Have you already gone or is this still in the planning stages?
HAWA HASSAN: No. This coming year.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, that's so exciting. I cannot wait to see that. I think that is going to be super impactful. It seems like that is a common theme as well. You can really see your deep appreciation for your heritage, for others. What would you say defines quintessential East African cuisine and how you highlight that?
HAWA HASSAN: I think the Indian Ocean. I think the Indian Ocean and the spice strait is what defines cuisines from that part of the world. And so if you've eaten Indian food at any point in your life, then you should feel very familiar and at ease with cooking foods from East Africa.
JAYMEE SIRE: Do you think that there's any misconceptions about that cuisine or things that people may be not realize originated there?
HAWA HASSAN: Yeah. I think there's a ton of misconceptions about food and Africa. I think there's a misconception that there's lack of food. It's like a well-resourced place in terms of its nature and in the way that things grow there. It might be lacking resources in other ways, but it's not lacking in that way.
I would say people think that Africa is monolithic. They think that its foods are carb-heavy and hard to make, where in parts of the world like Africa their people maybe eat carb-heavy but they also don't eat a meat diet. In some parts of Africa, I should say. So the book isn't mainly vegetarian.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Coming up next, we talk all about Hawa's Cooking Channel shows, Spice of Life, and her Food Network digital series, Hawa at Home, so stick around.
Well, we are here on Food Network Obsessed, so we do want to talk about your new show Spice of Life on Cooking Channel, which is really bringing together the flavors, the people behind them. A lot of the things that we've been talking about here in this conversation about your life and the work that you've been doing and it's coming to life now on the television screen.
You visit chefs, home cooks in their kitchens on this show. Can you tell us a little bit more about the format of the show and how you brought this vision to be?
HAWA HASSAN: Well. I had a lot of help from the people at Food Network-- Courtney and Stephen and Kate. But the idea around the show is that I end up traveling to restaurants to meet experienced home cooks and chefs to talk about tradition and how that is shaped by food, and then I go home and I do like a house take.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: I think that's fun though. Especially I love watching you go into these kitchens because you really do have this, I guess, a humble approach. You you want to listen, you want to learn. You obviously know your stuff, but there's still so much that you want to learn as well. What is the greatest lesson that you've learned so far from your time on the show?
HAWA HASSAN: I've met two chefs so far, Chef Hema and Chef Ghenet, both who are very far apart in their age range. The thing that I learned from Chef Hema was how just changing a few ingredients to a traditional recipe can bring together a whole community in Brooklyn.
He has a restaurant where people come to order bowls. What he's making is [NON-ENGLISH]. It's a street food and what people grab at lunch break in his home country of Nigeria. And here he's turned it into almost like a chipotle bowl. So to me, the innovation there is so eye-opening and I'm wowed by his entrepreneurial skills and just his depth of knowledge.
And then with Chef Ghenet, her life experience and how that has shaped her life here in the US. Whether it's her past life as a UN worker, whether it's running this restaurant in Brooklyn for 20-plus years, raising her children and grandchildren there, still working at her age. And then just her humbleness and the experience in which she brings to the kitchen every day.
I think there are a lot of misconceptions that if African food is being made at a restaurant a certain type of person is making it. It was interesting to see the variety of people she trained to cook like her. And I thought that was mind-boggling.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah. And as you mentioned, you take these experiences, these lessons that you learn in their kitchens, take it home, put maybe a little bit of a modern lens on it. How do you make a recipe more modern or just give it your own twist and that kind of thing?
HAWA HASSAN: I usually start with what I have. So like there's a [NON-ENGLISH], which is a classic chicken stew in Ethiopia and Eritrea that's made with chicken drums that Chef Workye taught me to make at Ghenet restaurant. When I came home I used halibut, because that's what I had on hand and that for me is easier to make than to have heavy meat or just meat, period. Like I don't spend a lot of time eating beef or chicken.
So I used what I had. But I still used the spices that I learned from her. I didn't use as much berbere as her. But I used berbere, which is an essential spice in the backbone of a lot of the cuisine from Ethiopia and Eritrea.
So just things like that. I think it's like tweaking things. If something is made with a certain type of vegetable, using what you have on hand but then maybe not calling it [NON-ENGLISH].
JAYMEE SIRE: Have you come across recipes that maybe are so good or so traditional that changing them would just seem wrong and you just leave them as they are?
HAWA HASSAN: Yeah. Absolutely. Like Somalis eat liver for breakfast.
[LAUGHTER]
Not that I wake up craving liver. But if my mom was visiting, I'm not going to not put the cumin or the cardamom in the liver and put just salt and pepper. She likes it a certain way. She likes it with onions and green bell pepper. And she likes it in small bites and she likes it with cumin and cardamom and cloves, and so I would take a backseat to her in that.
The same is true for when you're making flatbreads and things like that. I think there's some flatbreads I've played around with where I've added cilantro or I've added sea salt that would show up on the bread once it's finished, or I've turned it into a different color and made it turmeric. But if I were cooking it for people at home, I don't know that I would need to tailor it.
JAYMEE SIRE: You talk a lot about the different spices and how unique they are to maybe the region or the country that they come from and that's really highlighted in the show. When you are taking those home to your own kitchen, are you making your own spice blends, or are you buying them, or maybe a little bit of both?
HAWA HASSAN: There was a time where I spent a lot of time making my own spice blends, but now I go to Sahadi's. I pick them up.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: The convenience factor is there.
HAWA HASSAN: And I'm thankful that they have [NON-ENGLISH], which is a Somali spice that is also used in places like Yemen in Northern Africa. So I'm just happy to go do that.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: I like that. I like the honesty. The people can feel like it's OK to just go by the spice blend instead of feeling like you have to--
HAWA HASSAN: Simplicity is my mantra. Do not make things harder for yourself than they need to be. But you do need to get-- I mean, if you're going to make your own spices, get them whole, get them fresh, look at the expiration date.
JAYMEE SIRE: Very important. Definitely.
HAWA HASSAN: Get them from a place you trust.
JAYMEE SIRE: So you know that they're getting them frequently and people are buying them and like you said they're very, very fresh. Well, you do highlight a couple of amazing-looking spots in New York on the show. Aside from those or maybe including those, what are some of your favorite places to experience authentic African cuisine in the city?
HAWA HASSAN: I eat a lot at Yemen Cafe.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: What do you get at Ye--
HAWA HASSAN: Oh, I get their rice. I get a lot of the stews. I get the lamb stews. I get the flatbreads. I recently ordered a salad from there. I'm not really sure why I did that, but it was so good. And I was like a plain salad with just lettuce and cucumbers and red onion, but it was really good and fresh and it reminded me of a Somali salad.
JAYMEE SIRE: And what's the difference and what is a Somali salad like?
HAWA HASSAN: Oh, it's just it's very basic. Just that with a little lime juice and black pepper. But outside of that, my partner cooks a lot. He's Ghanaian. And so when he's craving home, he'll make a lot of jollof rice. He makes peanut soup, which I actually adopt and make on the show. He'll make smoked fish.
We recently traveled to Ghana before the pandemic, so I felt like with this whole year away from the continent, it felt very good to have my cup at least full. And he makes what they call red red, which is sweet plantains. So I get a lot of that at home here.
[LAUGHTER]
HAWA HASSAN: Yeah. I mean, it sounds like you are living in a restaurant that is putting out delicious food. How did you two meet?
HAWA HASSAN: Oh, this is so good.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
HAWA HASSAN: We met at Dumbo House in Brooklyn. I'm not always lazy, but before the pandemic, I used to work out of there.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, nice. Yes, I've worked out of there a couple of times as well. Not as much recently.
HAWA HASSAN: It's nice, right? It makes you feel like an adult.
JAYMEE SIRE: It does. Sometimes you get more done because you can get out of the house and it feels like you're somewhere else and you have maybe a time limit.
Who approached who? Did you talk to him first or did he?
HAWA HASSAN: Oh, yeah. So it was a Saturday. I'm not really sure why I was there on a Saturday working, but he also was working. And I have rosewater that I use often. I'll show it to you because I have it right here.
[LAUGHTER]
And I was spraying my face and he was sitting to my left and I said, "Would you like some rosewater?" And he said, "Sure."
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, that's so lovely.
HAWA HASSAN: Yeah. And then I ran into him the next day and he was like, "We met yesterday." And I was like, "Oh, OK."
JAYMEE SIRE: And the rest is history.
HAWA HASSAN: Yeah.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, you must have roses or rosewater at all celebrations going forward I would say. But back to the show, I love the name as well because I think it's very appropriate to everything you embody. But I'm curious what Spice of Life really means to you personally?
HAWA HASSAN: It means family. It means friends. I like to call myself spicy and curious. But really I think the thing that drives me the most is how to get from one place to the next as quickly and as peacefully as possible. So a little bit of spice for me is peace.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: That's nice.
HAWA HASSAN: Yeah, Spice of Life for me, it really is friends and family and a roundtable where people can be at and just a life well-lived.
JAYMEE SIRE: You also have a digital series, Hawa at Home, which is on Food Network where you make your favorite recipes from your book. You kind of explain the origin of each dish and why you love to make it at home, so what are some of the favorite recipes that you feature in that particular series?
HAWA HASSAN: There's a sour fish that I make and I put the green sauce, the coconut cilantro sauce from Somalia on there. That's a personal favorite. There's also chakalaka, which is a grilled cheese sandwich from South Africa that I make. And it's very nostalgic for me because I used to live in Cape Town and it instantly transports you to a barbecue in Cape Town.
What else do I do on there? I do make [NON-ENGLISH]. I do make beef suqaar from Somalia. I hate watching myself, so I haven't looked to see what the shows look like except for the--
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
JAYMEE SIRE: Really?
HAWA HASSAN: Yeah. I can't even stand to hear myself talk.
JAYMEE SIRE: Really? I think you'll get used to that. I used to be the same way, but I understand why you feel that way. I don't like watching myself in front of friends or I can't watch with other people. I have to watch it by myself.
HAWA HASSAN: Yeah. I know people are like, "Should we have a premiere watching?" I'm like, "No."
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: You're like, no, absolutely not.
[LAUGHTER]
HAWA HASSAN: Text me your thoughts two days later when I process my emotions.
JAYMEE SIRE: What's the response been from fans? Do you get any thoughts from them? Maybe not text messages, but on--
HAWA HASSAN: DMs?
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, DMs or that kind of thing.
HAWA HASSAN: I think Africa is having a moment. I'm in the process of raising funds for my company right now, so I hear a lot of this from the people who are higher up and end up making these decisions ultimately. But it's weird because it almost feels like the playground again. Like growing up in Seattle Elementary School I was attracted to other kids.
I didn't care if they looked like me. But if they had similar experience like if they didn't speak English, they were going to be my best friend for the school year because I didn't speak English. And so it feels like that again like people just feel really drawn to what I'm doing because they see themselves in it.
So I get really nice messages like, my mother never wrote recipes down, this is incredible to be able to have flavors of home at my fingertips, or I waited for so long for something like this to come to life. So those kinds of things make me feel like, oh, wow.
JAYMEE SIRE: What does it mean to you to get those messages and be able to share this love and this clear passion that you have for your cuisine and your culture on all of these massive platforms?
HAWA HASSAN: That's a good question because for me, it's not so much about the platform as it is about the impact. So even if it was like on my YouTube channel-- I don't have a YouTube channel, but beforehand.
[LAUGHTER]
And like 10 people saw themselves in it, I would feel great about it. It just feels to me there's something about this moment and there's such a space to hear other people and to allow people to tell their stories from where they stand that sits well with me. That's what I'm celebrating.
And I'm thankful I get to do it with Food Network. But that's really what to me feels like the aha moment. Like, wow, a little girl from Somalia, Seattle, New York, parentless, wow. That for me is the big win and then getting to share it with people like myself. But I think in five years when things are different, you and I can talk about this and I'll say, oh, my kids think it's fun or something.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: All right, we will revisit in a few years' time. But I think you said it beautifully, I think it is definitely something to celebrate. It is definitely a huge win for you and for all the people that you are inspiring and touching with your stories and your cooking. It's very inspiring. I have goosebumps for sure.
This has been so much fun, but we are running short on time. So I will finish this off with a few rapid-fire questions and then we have one last question that we ask everybody here on Food Network Obsessed. So rapid-fire round, your go-to ingredients.
HAWA HASSAN: Cilantro.
JAYMEE SIRE: Sweet or savory?
HAWA HASSAN: Savory.
JAYMEE SIRE: Favorite comfort food.
HAWA HASSAN: Pasta.
JAYMEE SIRE: OK. Most used kitchen tool?
HAWA HASSAN: My Vitamix.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: Favorite New York takeout? I guess I already asked this earlier. I don't know if it's the same answer.
HAWA HASSAN: It's sushi. Sushi from Gari Gari.
JAYMEE SIRE: OK. What music do you listen to when you're cooking?
HAWA HASSAN: Afrobeats. But I don't really listen to music when I'm cooking. I listen to crime podcasts.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: I love it. I love it. I don't think you're alone. I know a lot of people that do. Favorite way to unwind or relax?
HAWA HASSAN: Boxing or sitting in the sauna.
JAYMEE SIRE: OK. I like to box as well. All right. So our final question that we ask everybody here on Food Network Obsessed is what would be on the menu for your perfect food day? So we're talking the entire day, so breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert if you want.
So there are no rules. You can travel. Anybody could cook these for you. You can spend lots of money, no money. Basically, whatever you want. We just want to know what your ideal breakfast, lunch, and dinner would look like.
HAWA HASSAN: It would be being in the Maasai Mara with my mom at a safari lodge called Angama, and I would torture her and make her cook. And so I would have her make me Angelo with brown sugar and tea. I would have her make me this pasta that I often crave that's called sugo. And then I would somehow figure out a way to fly us in some sushi from Japan.
[LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: That sounds delightful. Anything for dessert?
HAWA HASSAN: Oh, I'm so--
JAYMEE SIRE: You said you're a savory person--
HAWA HASSAN: I'm so basic when it comes to dessert.
JAYMEE SIRE: That's all right. It's your day. You can have whatever you want as little or as much as you want.
HAWA HASSAN: I'm probably going to have a lot of wine.
JAYMEE SIRE: OK.
[LAUGHTER]
Well, cheers to that because that would be on my menu as well. It's been such a delight speaking with you and hearing your story. And I know it's not done yet, it's just getting started, and can't wait to see what that brings for you.
HAWA HASSAN: Thank you, Jaymee. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate you.
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JAYMEE SIRE: I so enjoy getting to know Hawa and hearing more of her unique story. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for her. As for me, I will be ordering some of that tamarind date sauce ASAP. And for more of Hawa you can catch her in Spice of Life on the Cooking Channel, and in Hawa at Home on Food Network Kitchen and foodnetwork.com.
As always, thanks so much for listening. And make sure you follow us wherever you listen to your podcast so you don't miss a thing. And of course, if you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to rate and review. We do love it when you do that. That's all for now. We'll catch you foodies next Friday.
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