Middle Eastern Cuisine seems to be the hottest trend these days with pre-pandemic falafel and shawarma street carts popping up all over Orange and LA counties. After trying Fleurs du Liban Cuisine I completely understand why! The food deceivingly complex and oh so flavorful.
Fleurs du Liban Cuisine is an OC based catering company that just started a few months ago during the middle of the pandemic. They specialize in Middle Eastern, (more specifically Lebanese), cuisine and are currently based out of the Hood Kitchen in Costa Mesa.
Fleurs du Liban, means Flowers of Lebanon. It represents the beautiful essence of the feminine and takes the best from the much misunderstood Lebanese culture and fresh cuisine. Owner and chef Iman Ahmed has been cooking since she was a child and happily still cooks for her friends and family. After being told she should cook professionally, she finally decided to make the leap.
"It's been a long process. It takes time find a kitchen, develop a menu, order equipment and supplies. And then the marketing. How do you market during a pandemic?"
When I asked Chef Iman Ahmed why started her catering company now, she said,
"With everything going on in the world, more people are eating at home. I want to be able to give them healthier options. When the world opens back up, we'll start doing larger events. For now we have family meals to get them through the week."
She's referring to the recent additon to her menu. Family meals start at $45 for 4 people and increase depending on the protein you order with it. Her most popular meals come with beef or chicken shwarma, a fattoush salad, hummus, pita and rice. But from experience, she can make almost anything on the menu into a family meal.
"Everything is made from scratch. We always purchase Halal meats and never use frozen products. I try to source all the produce locally and organic whenever possible."
"It shows in her dishes. Everything tastes so fresh and there are so many layers of flavor", says her husband and co-owner Alex Amed. "She's so talented and her food looks like art on a plate".
However, they don't only have family meals. She has everything from falafel to roasted and braised meats. Everything is washed, cut and prepared by her hands. They are a combination of her own and family recipes that have been passed down to her. Her full menu can be found on her website and is sold in full or half sized pans. She is currently offering free delivery to anywhere in Orange County or Long Beach with a $45 minimum order. For larger orders and a small delivery fee she will deliver further. Although she's cooking 7 days a week, she does ask that all orders are made 48 hours ahead of time and accepts cash only. The braised chicken with rice, the phyllo cheese rolls all of the kabobs and the ground beef stuffed zuchinni are a few of my personal favorites. Be sure to order a large side of her garlic sauce. Its liquid gold.
Fleurs du Liban Cuisine Serving all of Orange County and Long Beach 949.350.5141
Instagram @fleurs_du_liban_cuisine
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