Hi, I'm Mona.
I cook, I eat out, and I write it all down.
I'm 31, self-taught, and the person behind Simply Yummy. I'm half Lebanese, half Syrian, born in Los Angeles, and I bounced between the US and Paris until I was 10, when my family settled in Beirut. These days I'm in Dubai, happily married, and my favorite day of the week is Sunday, when I meal prep for my husband and me. I'm not exaggerating, I look forward to it all week. My cooking started at home, watching my dad cook with passion and precision. That's where I learned the aromas, the timing, and the love that goes into every dish.
I've never been to culinary school. I taught myself through social media, cooking shows, and an unreasonable number of hours of trial and error. I did study hospitality at Glion in Switzerland when I was 17, and the culinary classes were so basic that I already knew everything they taught. I'm a proper epicurean, and I believe the best recipes come from curiosity: borrow inspiration, add your own twist, and keep going until it feels like yours.
Here's my confession: I almost never follow a recipe. I taste a dish I love, then try to recreate it, so my recipes run on "a pinch," "a dash," and "a handful." You won't find many grams or milliliters here. I'll do my best to give you accurate measurements, but precision isn't what I'm about. I trust that anyone cooking can taste and know what's missing. And if you get stuck, my DMs and inbox are always open.
Simply Yummy started a couple of years ago as video recipes on Instagram and TikTok, and I never properly introduced myself. So, better late than never! This website is the home for it all: every recipe organized in one place, my favorite restaurants around the world, and soon my cookbook and merch. Everything here has been cooked, tasted, and perfected in my own kitchen.
To my Simply Yummy family, thank you for being part of this journey. I couldn't do it without you.
— Mona
Cooking is love made visible.