When I was a toddler, my parents used to put me on the floor during lunch. I foraged for food crumbs and did it so well that they called me “Little Hoover.” Since then, food has been a passion of mine, culminating in a PhD in Food Science from Rutgers.

I am an epicure by nature. I am always curious to learn about how food is made, and I love to explore history through food. I believe that food gatherings are the most memorable and heartfelt moments.

I come from Ehden, a mountainous village located in the heart of Lebanon’s northern mountains. My childhood, adolescence and adulthood were immersed in the enchanted cedar forest of Horsh Ehden, in the mystical Qadisha Valley, and in the magical olive groves decorating our plains and terraces.

The olive tree represents my roots, my family, wisdom, hope, harmony, and peace. Where I grew up, olive trees were always the first to greet me in the morning and the last to wish me a pleasant evening after a flamboyant sunset.

It is through Dr. Ricardus Haber’s teaching, dedication and passion for nature that my love, appreciation and respect for the environment grew deeper and stronger creating a vital bond in my being.

I love to be surrounded by family and friends. I love to hike in the wilderness, read, travel, explore new places and faces, cook, savor food, listen to music, dance, and laugh. In creating Oleavanti, I am realizing my lifelong dream to preserve the beautiful olive trees of Lebanon from extinction.