My name is Zubair Muhammad, and I am proud to introduce myself as the NWN’s first-ever food columnist. I am currently a sophomore, but I have been working with food for well over three years, making me more than qualified to write a food column.

After taking a Home Economics class in sixth grade at Lincoln Hall, I became interested in cooking and baking, and I soon found myself binge-watching every cooking show possible. Shortly after, I began taking five-day teens’ culinary courses at Sur La Table in Old Orchard every summer, and still do to this day. To better expand my knowledge and practice my cooking, I am taking the Gourmet & International Cuisine course at Niles West this semester.

Through the many classes I have taken, the creations I have made at home, and the new skills I have mastered through recipes and demos online, I have expanded my repertoire to include not just baking and pastries, but also French, Pakistani, Italian, and Arabic cuisine.

My specialty is Arabic cuisine. Who needs Sabra when I can whip up some fresh hummus in my food processor, with simple ingredients such as chickpeas, paprika, olive oil, and tahini?

For the 2016-2017 year, I want to expose you to my culinary world. Though time to time I will include recipes in a post, I plan on writing articles dedicated to cooking techniques and food hacks.

I love cooking and baking, and I’m always expanding my knowledge. I am dedicated to sharing what I know, and I hope to encourage viewers to put down the boxed mac-and-cheese and give cooking a shot. After all, cooking is a skill we all will need later in our lives, so why not start now?