Welcome to My Kitchen
My name is Chef François Aaraj, and for more than three decades, cooking has been much more than my profession—it has been the center of my life.
Over the years, I have worked as a chef, corporate chef, culinary consultant, menu developer, trainer, and restaurant-opening specialist across Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and other countries throughout the Arab world. I have spent countless hours inside professional kitchens, helping restaurants grow, leading culinary teams, solving kitchen challenges, and creating dishes that brought people together around the table.
More Than Just Recipes
But if there is one thing I have learned after more than 30 years in this profession, it is that great cooking is not simply about following recipes.
Great cooking begins with understanding ingredients, respecting traditions, and remaining curious enough to keep learning throughout your life. Beyond techniques and recipes, it is about the people we cook for, the memories we create around the table, and the emotions that even the simplest meal can awaken.
Throughout my career, I have prepared elegant fine-dining dishes, managed large banquet operations, trained young chefs, developed menus, and participated in the opening of restaurants from the ground up. I have worked under intense pressure, celebrated unforgettable successes, and made mistakes that became some of my greatest teachers.
Every experience shaped the chef I am today.
Why I Created This Website
For many years, everything I learned stayed inside the kitchens where I worked. I never imagined that one day I would be standing in front of a camera, filming recipes, sharing professional techniques, and teaching people from around the world through videos and articles.
Yet today, that has become one of the most rewarding chapters of my career.
This website is where I bring together everything I have learned along the way. Here, you’ll find recipes inspired by Lebanese cuisine, international flavors, restaurant techniques, practical kitchen tips, and the stories that shaped my journey as a chef. My goal is not simply to show you how to cook, but to help you understand why certain techniques work, so you can become more confident every time you step into your own kitchen.
If you’ve decided to spend a few minutes here getting to know me, thank you. It truly means a lot. I hope that by the time you finish reading my story, you’ll understand why cooking has never been just a job for me—it has always been a lifelong passion, a constant source of learning, and my favorite way of bringing happiness to others.
A Childhood Shaped by War and the Smell of Fresh Pastries
When I look back, I realize my culinary journey began much earlier than I ever imagined. It did not start in a restaurant or a culinary school. Instead, it began during one of the hardest periods in Lebanon’s history.
Because of the war, my family had to leave our hometown and move to Beirut. Like many families, we had to adapt to a new life filled with uncertainty. At the time, I was only a child. I did not fully understand everything that was happening around me.
However, I clearly remember the emotions, the changes, and the search for moments of comfort. Surprisingly, those difficult years led me toward the profession that would define my future.
Fortunately, I found that comfort in my uncle’s pastry shop. Whenever I had the chance, I spent hours watching him work. From the moment I walked inside, I was surrounded by the smell of fresh butter, warm dough, toasted nuts, and sweet pastries.
Every corner of the shop felt alive. I watched dough being mixed, shaped, and baked with incredible care. Then I watched beautiful pastries come out of the oven, one tray after another. My uncle often gave me small jobs to do, and I loved helping him. Although my tasks were simple, I felt proud to be part of that little kitchen.
Unlike most children, I was not only interested in eating the finished pastries. Instead, I became fascinated by the process itself. I wanted to understand how a few simple ingredients could become something beautiful that brought smiles to people’s faces. Without realizing it, those childhood moments planted the first seeds of a lifelong passion for cooking.
The Summer Job That Changed My Life
A few years later, another opportunity changed the direction of my life forever. During my teenage years, I took a summer job at a restaurant in my hometown. At first, I simply wanted to work during the holidays. However, it did not take long to realize that I had found the place where I truly belonged.
From my very first day, I fell in love with the rhythm of the kitchen. Orders arrived one after another, cooks moved with purpose, and every plate had to leave the pass at exactly the right moment. Although the work was demanding, I enjoyed every minute of it. Instead of feeling tired by the fast pace, I felt energized. In fact, I could not wait to return the next morning and discover something new.
What fascinated me most was that every dish had a story. Some recipes had been prepared the same way for generations, while others introduced me to flavors I had never experienced before.
That curiosity stayed with me throughout my career. Years later, it inspired me to explore cuisines from around the world, including Mexican cooking, which eventually became one of my favorite international cuisines to prepare and teach. Even today, I still enjoy sharing recipes such as my homemade guacamole, fresh pico de gallo, and other dishes that reflect that passion for discovering new flavors.
By the end of that summer, my future was clear. Cooking was no longer just a seasonal job or a way to earn extra money. It had become my calling. Without realizing it, I had taken the very first step toward a career that would eventually take me into professional kitchens, restaurant openings, and culinary consulting across the Arab world.
Choosing Culinary Arts
Soon, it was time to choose my future. By then, I no longer questioned what I wanted to do. Cooking had become more than a passion. It had become my purpose. Therefore, I decided to study culinary arts and turn my dream into a profession.
My childhood memories made pastry very tempting. After all, they were the reason I first fell in love with the culinary world. However, I felt a stronger connection to the hot kitchen. It was fast, creative, and full of challenges. Every service was different, and every day offered a chance to improve. Because of that, I chose to specialize in kitchen arts.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Culinary school gave me the knowledge I needed to build a strong foundation. At the same time, I knew that textbooks alone would never make me a great chef. Therefore, I paid close attention to every lesson and looked for every opportunity to learn outside the classroom. I watched experienced chefs carefully. I asked questions whenever I could. Most importantly, I listened far more than I spoke.
Little by little, I discovered that cooking was not only about preparing delicious food. It also required discipline, organization, teamwork, and respect. In addition, I learned that even the smallest detail could completely change the final result. A few extra seconds of cooking, a different cutting technique, or the order of adding ingredients could transform an ordinary dish into an unforgettable one.
Looking back, I believe curiosity became one of my greatest strengths. I never wanted to memorize recipes without understanding them. Instead, I wanted to know why every technique worked. Even today, that same curiosity guides everything I do. It is also the reason I explain the “why” behind my recipes, not just the steps, so you can cook with confidence instead of simply following instructions.
Starting My Professional Journey
At the age of sixteen, I stepped into a professional kitchen as a young apprentice. Although I was still studying, I knew there was no better place to learn. Every shift became a new lesson. Every service challenged me to improve. As a result, I gained experience much faster than I ever expected.
The beginning was not easy. Like every young cook, I made mistakes. Some of those moments became unforgettable lessons that shaped the chef I am today.
In my Chef’s Journal, I share several of those stories, including the most expensive mistake of my career and what it taught me about staying calm under pressure. However, I never allowed those moments to discourage me. Instead, I treated every mistake as an opportunity to grow. Looking back, I believe those early challenges became some of my greatest teachers.
Learning One Shift at a Time
While many lessons came from culinary school, the kitchen taught me something different. It taught me discipline. It taught me responsibility. Above all, it taught me humility. Every chef I worked with had a unique way of doing things. Therefore, I watched carefully, listened closely, and absorbed every piece of advice I could.
Long days soon became part of my routine. I often worked late into the night before returning to class the next morning. Although the schedule was demanding, I never complained. In fact, I enjoyed every opportunity to learn something new. With every service, my confidence grew. More importantly, my passion grew even faster.
Those early years shaped the chef I would later become. They also taught me a lesson I still believe today. Experience is not measured by the number of years you spend in a kitchen. Instead, it is measured by your willingness to keep learning, stay humble, and improve every single day. That mindset has stayed with me throughout my entire career.
Learning from Great Chefs
One of the greatest blessings of my early career was the opportunity to work alongside talented chefs. Every kitchen introduced me to someone new. Each chef had a different style, different standards, and different expectations. Therefore, every new job became another chapter in my education.
Some chefs were demanding. Others were patient. A few expected perfection from the very first day. Although their personalities were different, they all helped shape the professional I would become. They taught me far more than recipes. They showed me the importance of discipline, consistency, and attention to detail. Above all, they taught me to respect both the ingredients and the people I worked with.
Lessons I Still Carry Today
Not every lesson came from success. In fact, some of the most valuable ones came from my biggest mistakes. Like every young chef, I had moments I wished I could do over. However, those experiences made me stronger and more confident. Instead of hiding my mistakes, I learned from them. Even today, I still share many of those stories because I believe they can help others avoid the same challenges.
As the years passed, my responsibilities continued to grow. I was no longer learning only how to cook. I was learning how to lead a team, organize a busy kitchen, and solve problems under pressure. Meanwhile, I became more curious than ever. I wanted to understand every station, every technique, and every cuisine I encountered. Looking back, those years built the foundation that later allowed me to become a corporate chef, open restaurants, and guide culinary teams across Lebanon and the Arab world.
My First Journey to Saudi Arabia
As my experience grew, so did my ambition. I wanted to challenge myself in bigger kitchens and discover new culinary cultures. Therefore, when the opportunity came to work in Saudi Arabia for the first time, I accepted it without hesitation. Looking back, that decision changed my career in ways I could never have imagined.
Moving to another country meant starting over. Everything was different. The kitchens were larger, the pace was faster, and the expectations were even higher. At first, I had to adapt to a new environment and a different way of working. However, I enjoyed every challenge. Instead of staying inside my comfort zone, I embraced every opportunity to learn.
Discovering New Flavors and New Opportunities
Working in Saudi Arabia also introduced me to ingredients and cuisines that were less common where I had worked before. As a result, my curiosity grew even stronger. I became especially interested in Mexican cuisine and started exploring its fresh flavors, bold seasonings, and simple techniques. That passion stayed with me throughout my career. Even today, I enjoy preparing and teaching recipes such as homemade guacamole, fresh pico de gallo, and other Mexican favorites alongside Lebanese and international dishes.
More importantly, those years helped me grow as both a chef and a person. I learned to work with people from different cultures and backgrounds. Every new colleague brought different ideas and techniques to the kitchen. Therefore, I realized that learning never stops. No matter how much experience you have, there is always something new to discover. That lesson has stayed with me throughout my career and continues to inspire the way I cook, teach, and share my knowledge today.
Returning Home to Build a Family
In 2004, I made another life-changing decision. After several years in Saudi Arabia, I returned to Lebanon to begin a new chapter with the woman I loved. My career was important to me, but building a family mattered even more. Therefore, I packed my bags and came home, ready to start over.
Returning was exciting. However, it also came with unexpected challenges. Despite the experience I had gained abroad, finding the right position was not easy. I wanted to work as soon as possible, so I accepted jobs below my previous level instead of waiting for the perfect opportunity. Looking back, I have never regretted that decision. Honest work is always worth doing, and every position taught me something valuable.
A New Chapter of Growth
After about two months, I was offered a position as a sous chef. It felt like the fresh start I had been hoping for. Then, in 2005, I achieved another important milestone when I became a head chef. From that moment, my career continued to grow. Over the following years, I worked with outstanding teams, accepted greater responsibilities, and kept developing my skills. Eventually, I became a corporate chef, helped open restaurants, trained kitchen teams, and worked on culinary projects across Lebanon and the Arab world.
Those years were also the happiest years of my personal life. I got married, and together we welcomed our two beautiful daughters. Becoming a father changed me in many ways. It taught me patience, responsibility, and the true meaning of working for something bigger than myself. No professional achievement has ever meant more to me than seeing my daughters grow.
The Hardest Decision of My Life
I remained in Lebanon until 2021. Then, like many Lebanese families, we faced the country’s severe economic crisis. It became clear that I had to make another difficult choice. Although every part of me wanted to stay close to my family, I also wanted my daughters to continue living with dignity and security. Therefore, I returned to Saudi Arabia to work and provide them with the future they deserved.
Leaving them was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. Even today, being away from my daughters is a pain I carry every single day. Every visit back to Lebanon reminds me how precious our time together is. Nevertheless, I know why I made that sacrifice. It was a decision made out of love, responsibility, and hope for a better future.
Today, Saudi Arabia has become much more than the place where I work. Over the years, it has become my second home. I have grown deeply attached to this country and to its people. I appreciate its organization, its sense of calm, and the opportunities it has given me throughout my career. While Lebanon will always be the country of my heart, Saudi Arabia will always hold a special place in my life and in my journey as a chef.
Why I Finally Started Teaching Online
For more than thirty years, my work happened behind kitchen doors. I spent my days creating menus, opening restaurants, training chefs, and leading professional teams. Although teaching was always part of my job, my students were usually the cooks working beside me. As a result, I never imagined that one day I would be teaching people from all over the world through videos and articles.
Then everything changed.
For years, my partner encouraged me to share my experience online. She believed that the knowledge I had gained throughout my career could help far more people than those working in my kitchens. However, I kept saying no. I was comfortable working behind the scenes. Standing in front of a camera felt completely outside my comfort zone.
Sharing More Than Recipes
Eventually, I started looking at things differently. I realized that many home cooks face the same questions and mistakes I had already encountered during my career. Therefore, instead of keeping those lessons to myself, I decided it was time to pass them on. That decision led to the creation of my YouTube channel, my social media pages, and finally this website.
If you’re curious about how that journey began, I invite you to read Why I Started Teaching Cooking Online in my Chef’s Journal. In that article, I share the full story behind the decision and why it took me so many years to finally say yes.
Today, my goal goes far beyond sharing recipes. I want to help you understand cooking with confidence. That means explaining the reasons behind every technique, sharing the kitchen secrets I learned over decades of professional work, and helping you avoid mistakes that once taught me valuable lessons. Some of those stories, including The Most Expensive Mistake of My Career, can also be found in my Chef’s Journal, where I share the experiences that shaped me both as a chef and as a person.
Whether you are preparing your very first meal or refining skills you’ve practiced for years, I hope this website becomes a place where you can learn, experiment, and enjoy every moment in the kitchen. After all, cooking is not only about creating delicious food. It is about creating memories, building confidence, and sharing something meaningful with the people you love.
Thank You for Being Part of My Journey
If you have read this far, thank you for taking the time to get to know me. It means more than you might imagine. Every recipe, every article, and every video I create is inspired by the experiences I have gathered throughout my journey. Some come from my childhood. Others were born in busy restaurant kitchens, while many were shaped by the people I met and the countries that welcomed me along the way.
Although I have spent more than thirty years in professional kitchens, I still believe there is always something new to learn. Every ingredient has a story. Each recipe teaches a lesson. Every meal creates an opportunity to bring people together. That is exactly what continues to inspire me every day.
Let’s Keep Learning Together
I hope this website becomes more than a collection of recipes. I hope it becomes a place you return to whenever you want to learn a new technique, discover a different cuisine, or simply enjoy the pleasure of cooking. Whether you are looking for traditional Lebanese dishes, international recipes, restaurant techniques, or practical kitchen tips, I will do my best to guide you every step of the way.
If you enjoy the stories behind my career, I invite you to explore my Chef’s Journal. There, I share the experiences, challenges, and lessons that shaped me as a chef. You can also visit my recipe collection, where you’ll find everything from family favorites to restaurant-inspired dishes, all explained with the same care and attention to detail I have always believed great cooking deserves.
If you enjoy watching recipes step by step, I would also love to welcome you to my YouTube channel. There, I share detailed recipe videos, professional cooking techniques, practical kitchen tips, and simple methods that help you cook with greater confidence. Every video is based on real experience gained over more than thirty years in professional kitchens. My goal is not only to show you how to prepare a dish but also to help you understand the techniques behind it, so you can recreate the same results in your own kitchen.
Thank you for welcoming me into your kitchen. I truly hope that my recipes, tips, and stories help you cook with more confidence, enjoy every moment behind the stove, and create wonderful memories around your own table. I look forward to continuing this journey with you, one recipe at a time.
📬 Stay Connected
I invite you to explore my recipes, try them at home, and become part of my growing community.
If you have any questions or collaboration ideas, feel free to reach out through the Contact page.