Josleen Shuhaibar and her son Kareem. (Courtesy of Kareem Shuhaibar)
His Instagram page got more than 75,700 followers in just two years. It features videos and recipes of classic Lebaneses favorites like tabbouleh, rez a djej,sheikhel mehchi, dictated by Josleen.
Kareem Shuhaibar and his mother have become a key reference for Lebanese food lovers on instagram. Adding spice and humor to a daily life that is sometimes boring, Shuhaibar shares easy recipes that carry the taste of Lebanon.
Based in New York where he has been serving as creative director for an international advertising agency for over 12 years, Shuhaibar has worked in three continents and won awards in his field at the Cannes Lions festival in France.
“I'm happy with the success I was able to achieve abroad, but I still miss Lebanon. It's still in my heart and I'm constantly homesick,” he said.
Although he was not born in Lebanon, nostalgia is felt in each of his posts. “I was born in Washington DC, but raised in Kuwait, by a Kuwaiti father and a Lebanese mother. My father also has Lebanese ancestors,” he said.
“I’m very proud of these two aspects of my personality and identity, they've made me who I am. But of course, given that my mother raised me, I'm extremely close to my Lebanese heritage.”
“It is hard to believe it, but I’ve never lived in Lebanon,” he admits. Despite this, he is proud of his heritage, which insists is part of his DNA.
“We are Lebanese raised abroad, in Kuwait and London. But I visit Lebanon every year, usually in the summer and Christmas to see the family,” he said.
His @thevoicenotechef Instagram page was launched spontaneously during the pandemic.
“I was in London and the city was totally closed. I was tired of eating pizza, hamburgers and fast food, and I missed the flavor and warmth of my mother’s food. The comfort we all needed at that moment. So, I called and asked her how she makes loubieh bzeit. She sent me a recipe in a voice note on WhatsApp from Kuwait. It took me 45 minutes to make the dish, but it was tasty. My London-based friends heard it and were fascinated. They found my mother adorable and hilarious, illustrating for them the typical charm of a Lebanese and Beirut mother. They made me upload the photo to Instagram and since then, my page has gone viral. Many people have fallen in love with the concept of a mother sending her son a voice note recipe from thousands of miles away, and with the warmth of my mother Josleen’s voice,” he said.
Since then, major news sites, including BBC News, featured the duo on two occasions.
“In less than two years, we grew to over 75,000 followers. They are all family recipes, typical Lebanese recipes. I want to keep them alive, even if we’re far away.”
Gourmet nostalgia
“I studied in the US,” he Shuhaibar shared. “I got my undergraduate degree from George Washington University and Pennsylvania State University.”
When he was initially rejected. “My mother, who believed in me so much, called the dean in charge of admissions from abroad, and, thanks to her charm and powers of persuasion, she managed to convince him to reconsider my application the Lebanese-way. Her intervention paid off, I got finally admitted, through a simple phone call,” he said.
Behind Kareem’s character and strength, there is a woman with character and perseverance.
It is his mother Josleen, a pillar in his life, who has always been there for him, and for whom it is just impossible to say “no.”
“My father died 25 years ago, and she had to raise four sons on her own. She clothed us, fed us, listened to us, calmed us down, enabled us to go to school, then university, and helped us to succeed in life, sacrificing her own happiness and ambitions. The voice note chef is a way of thanking her,” he said.
Sweet or savory, all the recipes shared carry the nostalgia of Lebanon. (Courtesy of Kareem Shouhaibar)
“She taught me to be a better man, and I'm proud to say it, because it's true. Her teachings go far beyond cooking: she instilled in me the power of kindness, humor and charisma. To be creative and resourceful, to be grateful for what you have and not think about what you don't, to always put family first, to realize that a job is just a job and that health is the most important thing in life, including mental health,” he said.
Never without my mom
A real character from a novel, or from the movies, Josleen Choueiri Shuhaibar was quick to answer our questions with an energy that can be felt thousands of miles away.
“First of all, hello my little darling! I'm flattered to be approached by L’Orient-Le Jour, which we've been reading since our early childhood. As with all Lebanese of origin, Lebanon holds a special place in our hearts. It’s as dear to us as the apple of our eye! Leaving my homeland doesn't mean deserting it,” she said. She is still based in Kuwait.
A young Kareem with his mother, Josleen. (Courtesy of Kareem Shouhaibar)
“It’s still very much alive in my heart, with its rich heritage of customs, traditions, culture, know-how and cuisine. It will rise again, with God’s grace. Let's keep our optimism!”
She voiced her concerns that her son was eating poorly during the lockdown. “I wasn’t sure if he’d really start cooking. After all, he’s an advertising specialist, not a chef!” she said.
Commenting on her Instagram journey, she said, “I was resistant at first, but I thought of the young people who also had to feed themselves during the terrible pandemic and of the moms who were worried about their children and the singles of this world. Giving is receiving.”
Married at a young age and having lived in Arizona for the first few years of her marriage, Josleen said that she got a notebook of hand-written recipes from her mother, which she still follows. “The proof that these are 100 percent traditional dishes,” she said.
“I learned to cook right away,” she said, “first to impress my husband, as the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and to give the best to my children.”
With unfiltered words and recipes straight from her heart, Josleen has won over Internet users, Kareem’s friends, cooking enthusiasts and foodies alike.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour. Translation by Joelle El Khoury.
