The Arabic word “Maghreb” means “land where the sun sets,” a region which includes Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Libya and in ancient times, parts of Spain, Sicily, and Malta.

The history of the Mediterranean region of the Maghreb is unique, and the cuisine reflects the influences of the many cultures that conquered or colonized the area. It’s an inviting cuisine, made with fresh local and seasonal ingredients that carry a diversity of flavors and time-honored traditions to the Maghreb table.

Three generations ago, Alba Carbonaro Johnson’s family emigrated from Sicily to Tunisia. With this unique cultural vantage point, Alba learned to cook traditional Maghrebi dishes as well as the southern Italian specialties of her family.

Alba invited her longtime friends, CHoW members Paula Miller Jacobson and Sheilah Kaufman, to collaborate on the writing and editing of her new book and also to test the recipes. Flavors of the Maghreb & Southern Italy: Recipes from the Land of the Setting Sun brings the best of both Mediterranean cuisines together in simple, delicious recipes that readers will turn to again and again.

BIOS

ALBA JOHNSON

Alba Johnson has been a cooking instructor for over 15 years. She is a food blogger, recipe writer, food tester and editor, and private chef. Alba teaches regional Mediterranean cooking classes for several venues via Zoom or in-person classes. Born in Italy and raised in Tunisia, Alba’s passion is to share her muticultural cooking experiences and the art of simplifying techniques for her clients. Her recipes are rustic yet vibrant in taste. Alba wrote her first book, La Cucina Semplice, with family recipes she grew up with in the Maghreb and Italy.

She also conducts culinary tours to Umbria/Tuscany Italy and Giverny in France. Alba has done live demos on FOX DC, CBS DC, and PBS Virginia.

Alba has a B.S. in international business management. She earned certification from the Training in Excellence Program at the Center of Creative Leadership and completed The Professional Personal Chef training.      Alba is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International, IACP, Slow Food, and CHoW.

Visit Alba at www.EasyCookingwithAlba.blogspot.com

PAULA JACOBSON

CHoW member Paula Miller Jacobson is a partner with Sheilah Kaufman in Cookbook Construction Crew. She has been editing cookbooks, developing and testing recipes, proofreading, indexing, and teaching cooking for over 15 years.

Paula studied English, followed by a concentration in linguistics, at the University of Maryland. She received a bachelor’s degree in theoretical linguistics from the University of Maryland and continued with post-graduate work in a doctoral program.

Paula has been cooking and catering for events big and small for over 30 years. She has edited and tested recipes for nutrition counselors and vegan, Italian, Turkish, Iraqi, kosher, Sephardic, Azerbaijani, Maghreb, and pastry chefs, as well as for books about bread, canola oil, general cooking, and diabetes management. She co-wrote Healthy Bones: Build Them for Life—The Food-for-Bones Cookbook for the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

Paula is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International, International Association of Culinary Professionals, Slow Food, and CHoW.

Visit Paula at www.CookbookConstructionCrew.com

SHEILAH KAUFMAN

Sheilah Kaufman, is the author of 27 cookbooks and has been a food editor and writer, culinary lecturer, and cooking instructor for more than 45 years.

Sheilah removes the intimidation from cooking and entertaining in Sheilah’s Fearless, Fussless Cookbook.Along with Nur Ilken, she is the co-author of award-winning A Taste of Turkish Cuisine and The Turkish Cookbook. Two of her books, Sephardic Israeli Cuisine and A Taste of Turkish Cuisine were published by Hippocrene Books.

Sheilah trained at L’Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, Maryland. She travels around the U.S. teaching Turkish, French, international, and Mediterranean cooking. She lectures about Mediterranean cooking and history, Jewish culinary traditions, and the history of the Jews and chocolate.

Sheilah is a partner with Paula Jacobson in Cookbook Construction Crew. She is a founding member of International Association of Culinary Professionals and an active member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International, Slow Food, and CHoW.

Visit Sheilah at www.CookingWithSheilah.com