About This Dude
Origin Story
My name is Keyan and I’m a glutton and a cook (hopefully turned chef in the near future). Nothing in this life gives more joy than food. It has been around me since I was born. My amazing mother is from Afghanistan and my Baba is from Iran. Both of their backgrounds have influenced my cooking in a number of ways. For one thing, my first food encapsulates these cuisines. Also, my uncle, a previous head chef at an Afghan restaurant, has helped me find my way into the culinary world. I’m so thankful I have them in my life and also very thankful for my love of food.
Cooking Journey
I have been cooking continuously since the age of 15. The first thing I ever made was Southern baked mac and cheese. The first time I made it and tried it, I realized that cooking is a spiritual and pleasurable activity. Cooking is a mix of science and art because it uses creativity, craftsmanship, and knowledge to create each dish. The wonderful smells of the ingredients, the satisfying nature of preparing and mixing foods, and making people you care about happy are what drew me into this culinary world. Ever since then, I have been enamored and addicted to cooking and nourishment. After this experience, I tried to learn everything as fast I could. My mother taught me and so did my uncle. But, as well as my family, I read and watched a lot of content online about the art. If you go on my YouTube recommendations, I’d say 85% of what is recommended is food videos. I learned a lot but there is also so much more to learn, which is the beauty of this passion.
Current Endeavors
Every day is a new opportunity to cook, so I try to do as much as I can. In 2021 I held two pop-up restaurants with the help of my parents. Both of the pop-up restaurants did extremely well and I could not be happier with the outcomes. I served around 80 people during the first pop-up and the second around 110, which is something I’m incredibly proud of. I also catered once for a party my friend was throwing which was also a great experience. Now during the school year, I hold supper clubs at my apartment called “Sunday Dinners”. Around 5 to 12 of my friends come over around 7:30 and I cook a big dinner. I usually test out new recipes and or tweak old ones. As well as holding these supper clubs I also cook for my roommates. I usually cook 2-3 times per week and meal prep for the whole week.