About

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About Faith

Hello and welcome! I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind An Edible Mosaic. What I love most about my job is finding a human connection, a commonality that we can all relate to, no matter who we are or where we’re from. Maybe it’s a Chicken Kiev recipe that reminds you of the one your mom used to make. Or maybe it’s a photo of coffee and date-filled Ma’moul that looks like your grandmother’s cookies, and makes you feel like you could come over on a random afternoon and we could sit down together at my kitchen table and chat for hours.

Whatever sparks it, breaking bread is that common tie.

I was born, raised, and spent most of my life in Upstate New York. I lived in Florida for three years during law school and recently returned there, and have also spent a significant amount of time living Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, and the Washington DC area. Each of those places holds a special place in my heart.

How Travel Shaped Faith’s Cooking Style

Travel has greatly shaped who I am, and I love experiencing places steeped in rich culture and history. I believe that not only does travel open us up to appreciate other people and where they’re coming from, but it opens ourselves up to turn introspective and appreciate where we come from as well. Celebrating our differences somehow brings us together.

One of my favorite cities is Damascus, Syria. It’s scented of jasmine, spices, and apple tobacco, tastes sweet like toot (berry juice) and salty like bizzer (roasted seeds and nuts). And it feels like another world. I’ve been to France, Switzerland, England, Germany, Austria, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Thailand, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Canada, and Costa Rica.

My travels around the world have greatly influenced my cooking style, and I love sharing updated classic American and international favorite recipes on my website. My first cookbook, An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair (Tuttle Publishing; November 2012), is a tribute to the significant amount of time I spent living in the Middle East, where I was able to fully immerse myself in the culture and cuisine. I’ve never been immersed in a culture where food is simultaneously an abundance of love, art, common ground, and human connection as much as I was during my time in the Middle East.

My favorite thing to do when traveling is go to a local market and spend an entire afternoon taking in the sights, sounds, and smells. And I’m a firm believer that it doesn’t get any better than eating like a local. When I travel I’m always on the lookout for a busy hole-in-the-wall dive, street food cart, or local food market!

Favorites and Hobbies

My favorite foods (in addition to cheese, chocolate, and oddly, onion, but not all together) are delicata squash (because of things like this salad), homemade chocolate chip cookies, and Indian Butter Chicken.

Other than cooking, I enjoy:

• Photography
• Yoga
• Reading
• Vintage shopping (especially in old markets)
• Admiring architecture and art, and learning about the underlying history
• Ceramics and pottery classes
• Watching movies (of many genres, but I love fantasy and historical fantasy, and Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter will always be something I will happily binge watch)
• I am enamored with ancient cultures, and I enjoy learning about them

For more information about me, check out my FAQ page, or feel free to contact me.

Faith’s Food Philosophy on An Edible Mosaic

Food plays a tremendous role in our daily lives. In its basic form, food nourishes us, sustains us, and fuels us. It’s what keeps our minds focused and attentive and our bodies running smoothly. But food is so much more than that. Food is how we celebrate (birthday cake), how we spend time with our families and friends (Sunday suppers), and how we express our culture and traditions (what would Thanksgiving be without turkey or Ramadan be without lentil soup?).

An Edible Mosaic is a true celebration of food itself.

We truly are what we eat. Keeping that in mind, at An Edible Mosaic I believe there’s a time and place for every type of food, but moderation is the best practice. I focus on real food-based recipes that sustain our bodies and minds, bring people together, and make a house a home.

My recipes don’t focus exclusively on any one cuisine or type of food, but instead embrace the foods of many different cultures. So much can be learned about people through what they eat, and how, when, and why they eat it. It’s my goal to inspire you to get into the kitchen and try something new.

Welcome to my mosaic of recipes.

More of Faith’s Work

I also blog at www.HealthySweetEats.com and www.TheKetoQueens.com!