ArabishWay

Ya Hala Cafe and Retail Space: Ya Hala Kids
2025-06-01 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States
Cafe
Remember, Ya Hala’s café and retail space is open to all
📣 IMPORTANT: Some events will require registration/RSVP so you can save a spot!
Take a look ahead at the calendar and then keep an eye out for links to sign up for specific events. You won’t want to miss out.
More details about each weekend’s events will drop on the Monday before. 👀

Ya Hala Cafe and Retail Space
2025-06-01 13:00 - 15:00 | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States

Chef Hend Yayha at Lake City Farmers Market
2025-06-26 15:00 - 19:00 | Lake City Farmers Market, NE 125th St & 28th Ave NE, Seattle, WA, 98125
Chef Hend Yahya

Hend is amazing at simultaneously crafting delicious food and captivating a crowd of market goers with her knowledge. She is a true pro and PCC Markets and Whisk Bellevue Instructor and will always delight with her fresh and unique, often culturally inspired, choices. Don’t miss chatting with her. She is an excellent resource.
You can learn more about Hend on Instagram @yayacooksandtravels.

And find her here:

July 4 at Phinney
Chef Hend Yahya

July 23 at Columbia City
Chef Hend Yahya

August 16 at University District

Chef Hend Yahya

September 6 at Magnolia

Chef Hend Yahya

September 25 Lake City
Chef Hend Yahya

The Somali Table
2025-06-28 18:00 - 21:00 | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
Due to its location and landmass, Somalia is a true culinary crossroad. Indigenous Somali regional cuisines woven with lasting Italian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern influences have resulted in a cuisine that is dynamic and unique. Join local chef Ifrah F. Ahmed in class, where she will teach you about the food of Somalia and how to make some of her favorite classic dishes. On the menu: xawaash-spiced lamb (braised lamb shanks with xawaash spice and cilantro garlic sauce); muufo (corn flatbread); fuul (mashed fava bean and tomato stew); and bariis(Somali-style rice).
Please note: some classes can be adjusted for students with dietary restrictions, but many cannot. If you’re vegetarian, pescatarian, or gluten-free, you can use the drop-down menu on our events page to view the best classes to fit your needs. If a class you’re interested in doesn’t appear in that filtered view, please email us before registering and we’ll see if the class’s menu can be modified.

The Arab Grill
2025-06-29 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-06-30 18:00 - 21:00 | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
Think of Arab cuisine and the first thing that comes to mind is probably the characteristic blend of spices. But equally important is the char that you can only get by cooking with fire. In this class Nadia Tommalieh will introduce you to the perfect balance of smoke, spice, and citrus in a spread of dishes that celebrate the warmth of Arab hospitality. On the menu: shish tawook (grilled yogurt-marinated chicken with sumac and Aleppo); and reyash mashwieh (grllled lamb chops with pomegranate molasses and baharat spice). You’ll round out the meal with tabbouleh (Lebanese parsley and bulgur wheat salad); grilled muhammara with walnuts and breadcrumbs; and three flavors of toum (Arab-style garlic sauce).
Please note: some classes can be adjusted for students with dietary restrictions, but many cannot. If you’re vegetarian, pescatarian, or gluten-free, you can use the drop-down menu on our events page to view the best classes to fit your needs. If a class you’re interested in doesn’t appear in that filtered view, please email us before registering and we’ll see if the class’s menu can be modified.

Chef Hend Yayha at Phinney Farmers Market
2025-07-04 15:00 - 18:00 | Phinney Farmers Market, 6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98103

Whisk: Spice Route: Kids Cooking Class
2025-07-07 - 2025-07-11 | Whisk, 10385 Main St, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
This 5-day camp is designed for kids 8 to 12 years old.

Class runs 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Monday through Friday
Have you ever wanted to take an international culinary journey through five countries without needing a passport? If so, join Chef Hend Yahya in this week long, hands-on, cooking series, where you will explore, cook and taste national foods from countries along the Spice Route. Throughout the week we will follow land and sea trails along the Spice Route with the intention of utilizing numerous spices as we create popular national dishes from each country. Every day you will practice knife skills and become more familiar with everyday kitchen equipment.
Monday – China
Chicken Bao Bun and Mapo Tofu
Tuesday – India
Butter Chicken and Naan Bread
Wednesday – Indonesia
Grilled Beef and Vegetable Satay, Homemade Lumpia Wrapper and Vegetable Lumpia
Thursday – Iran
Ground Meat Kabob, Shirazi Salad and Barbari Flatbread
Friday – Egypt
Falafel Sandwich, Pita Bread and Basbousa Cake

No prior cooking experience is required, just an interest to learn.
All classes taught by a culinary professional and 2 adult kitchen assistants.
For safety reasons, please tie long hair back and wear closed toed shoes.
Allergies or dietary restrictions may be accommodated – just let us know upon registration.

JULY 7, 2025 @ 10:00 AM – JULY 11, 2025 @ 12:00 PM

The Arab Grill
2025-07-17 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-08-13 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-08-14 18:00 - 21:00 | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
Think of Arab cuisine and the first thing that comes to mind is probably the characteristic blend of spices. But equally important is the char that you can only get by cooking with fire. In this class Nadia Tommalieh will introduce you to the perfect balance of smoke, spice, and citrus in a spread of dishes that celebrate the warmth of Arab hospitality. On the menu: shish tawook (grilled yogurt-marinated chicken with sumac and Aleppo); and reyash mashwieh (grllled lamb chops with pomegranate molasses and baharat spice). You’ll round out the meal with tabbouleh (Lebanese parsley and bulgur wheat salad); grilled muhammara with walnuts and breadcrumbs; and three flavors of toum (Arab-style garlic sauce).

Cookbook Author Talk: Sami Tamimi - Boustany: A Celebration of Vegetables from my Palestine!
2025-07-21 18:30 - 20:00 | Book Larder, 4252 Fremont Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98103, United States
Book Larder is thrilled to welcome Sami Tamimi to celebrate his newest book, Boustany: A Celebration of Vegetables from my Palestine! In this highly anticipated book, Sami—the award winning author of Falastin, Jerusalem and co-founder of Ottolenghi—celebrates the diverse cuisine of Palestine with plant-based and vegetarian recipes for festive meals, breads, desserts, and more. Sami will join us for an author talk and book signing on Monday, July 21st at 6:30pm, and there will be bites from the book to try! Sami will be in conversation with local cooking instructor and longtime friend of the shop Nadia Tommalieh.
Reservations are non-refundable and can include a signed copy of the $37.99 book. Applicable sales tax and a $0.75 transaction fee are also included, as well as a small surcharge towards food costs.
Can’t attend but still want a signed book? Order here for shipping or in-store pickup.
About the book: The first solo cookbook from Ottolenghi co-founder Sami Tamimi, Boustany is a homage to Palestinian food and culture. “Boustany” translates from Arabic as “my garden,” which reflects Sami’s signature style and approach to food: colourful and simple vegetable- and grain-led dishes. Bold, inspiring and ever-evolving, Boustany picks up where Falastin left off, with flavour-packed vegetable-based dishes, including pantry items, midweek easy meals and special to-be-shared dishes. It’s an approach that’s strongly present in Palestinian cuisine, from building your mooneh, or pantry, by preserving seasonal vegetables and herbs to lining the dinner table with a variety of salads and condiments reflective of a love for fresh and vibrant food.
This is how Sami grew up eating – platters of eggplant and chickpeas with a spicy green lemon sauce and fragrant lentil fatteh that always tasted better the next day. These are the 100 vegan and vegetarian dishes he has known, loved, cooked, and shared with friends, including:

Braised eggs with pita bread, tomatoes & za’atar
Smoky chickpeas with cilantro tahini
Crushed butter beans with orange & mint
Couscous fritters with preserved lemon yogurt
Jerusalem sesame bread
Pan-baked tahini, halva & coffee brownie
Labneh & pomegranate ice cream

Boustany is filled with vibrant and lively photographs of everyday meals that invite you into Sami’s home. With recipes for breads, dinner parties, fermenting your own vegetables, and more, Sami shares the cultural fabric of Palestine through his eyes.

FIELD TRIP: 4-DAY QUILLISASCUT FARM CAMP
2025-07-24 - 2025-07-27, 2025-09-25 - 2025-09-28 | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
This summer we’re teaming up with Quillisascut for another round of farm camp! Located in Rice, Washington, Quillisascut is a rural farmstead that includes livestock, a small orchard and extensive gardens that supply the ingredients that nourish the farmers and guests. Every summer they invite guests to the farm for culinary workshops, where you’ll spend your days milking goats, making goat cheese, feeding, slaughtering, and butchering chickens, gathering eggs, harvesting garden vegetables and herbs, and foraging. Out of your day’s adventures, you’ll create meals that will include wood-fired sourdough bread, fresh-made yogurt, fruit jam, wood-oven rotisserie chicken, herbal infusions, wood-fired pizza, and so much more. On top of that, you will learn how to improvise meals based on what you harvest each day from the farm and have additional options in the farm garden to learn about local flowers, crack walnuts from the renowned tree, or try your hand at fermentation projects in the back kitchen.
This 4-day camp led by Nadia Tommalieh and the Quillisascut family will take place July 24-27 and again on September 25 -28. Lodging is included and will be in either the farm’s clubhouse, the shepherds hut, or the glamping tent. There are four shared bathrooms with showers. Camping is also an option for those who want to sleep under the stars. Payment plans are an option, so please send an email to info@thepantryseattle.com if that works better for you.
Quillisascut Farm Camp is geared for adults. Young adults can sometimes be accommodated as an exception based on their age level and interest (as well as must be accompanied by a parent or guardian). Please email to check in with us first if you have anyone under the age of 18 in your party.

Whisk Cooking Class: Street Foods of the World
2025-07-26 17:30 - 20:00, 2025-08-25 18:00 - 20:30, 2025-09-12 18:00 - 20:30 | Whisk, 10385 Main St, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Want to expand your culinary passport? Are you looking for a new dish to spice up your repertoire? Do you dream of tasty treats on foreign streets, but haven’t been able to get away? If the answer is yes, this class is for you! Join Chef Drew Flanders in this hands-on class where you will prepare simple but flavor-packed dishes inspired by foods sold in the markets, festivals, and by street vendors from around the world. From Morocco to Japan, Mexico to Senegal, in this class you will prepare and enjoy a variety of flavors and textures from the simple perfection of the taco, the warm comfort of “Japanese pizza”, to the glory of two different types of grilled-meat-on-a-stick!
Make, eat and enjoy street foods from

Morocco – Chermoula Chicken
West Africa – Spicy Peanut-Dusted Beef Skewers
Japan – Okonomiyaki – Seafood Pancakes
Mexico – Alambres, Steak and Bacon Tacos with Salsa Verde

Participants will have the option of enjoying wine or beer as street food is always best with a beverage!

Chef Hend Yahya at University District Farmers Market
2025-08-16 09:00 - 14:00 | University District Farmers Market, University Way NE (the "Ave") between 50th & 52nd, Seattle, WA, 98105
Hend is amazing at simultaneously crafting delicious food and captivating a crowd of market goers with her knowledge. She is a true pro and PCC Markets and Whisk Bellevue Instructor and will always delight with her fresh and unique, often culturally inspired, choices. Don’t miss chatting with her. She is an excellent resource.
You can learn more about Hend on Instagram @yayacooksandtravels.
She will also be at the following Farmers Markets:

September 6 at Magnolia

Chef Hend Yahya
September 25 Lake City
Chef Hend Yahya

Palestinian Cooking Class
2025-08-17 13:00 - 15:00 | Common Good Tacoma, 621 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA, 98402
This will be a class that teaches you how to make a Palestinian salata (salad) called fatoosh. This is a fundraiser for Palestine.

Arab Street Food: Shawarma with Nadia Tommalieh
2025-08-19 18:00 - 21:00 | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
Across the Arab world, you’ll find variations on their most famous street food: shawarma. Traditionally cooked on a vertical spit that turns, shawarma is universally loved as a picnic spread, a main course, or an iconic street-food sandwich. In this class Nadia Tommalieh will show you everything you need to make shawarma wraps at home, starting with fresh-made saj bread. You’ll fill your warm bread with spiced and thinly sliced beef shawarma, tahini-based taratorsauce; batata harra (crispy cubed potatoes in a citrus cilantro sauce); avocado bil labaneh w za’atar (mashed avocado, jalapeno, yogurt, and Za’atar); and mkhalal left (pickled turnips).

Chef Hend Yahya at Magnolia Farmers Market
2025-09-06 10:00 - 14:00 | Magnolia Farmers Market, W McGraw Street & 33rd Ave W in the Magnolia Village, Seattle, WA
Hend is amazing at simultaneously crafting delicious food and captivating a crowd of market goers with her knowledge. She is a true pro and PCC Markets and Whisk Bellevue Instructor and will always delight with her fresh and unique, often culturally inspired, choices. Don’t miss chatting with her. She is an excellent resource.
You can learn more about Hend on Instagram @yayacooksandtravels.
She will also be at the following Farmers Markets:

September 25 Lake City
Chef Hend Yahya

Flavors of Somalia: Cooking Class
2025-09-07 18:00 - 21:00 | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
Located in the horn with the longest coastline in mainland Africa, Somalia was a powerhouse in the spice trade for centuries and a common stopping point for sailing vessels from all over the world. This allowed indigenous Somali cuisine to expand and incorporate the influence of Indian, East African, Italian, and Middle Eastern flavors, leading to a delicious and unique culinary tradition. Join local chef Ifrah Ahmed in class, where she will teach you about the cuisine of Somalia and how to make some of her favorite classic dishes. On the menu: suqaar digaag (spiced chicken and pepper saute); bariis (Somali rice); sambuus (fried triangular dumplings filled with beef and vegetables); and basbaas (Somali-style hot sauce).

Amna's Supper Club
2025-09-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Register for Location
Back for our last supper club of the season!! Can’t wait to highlight the late summer produce and enjoy fresh bites and a rich meal. See you at the table! Tickets coming soon 🥰

Palestinian Kitchen: Fatayer
2025-09-18 18:00 - 21:00 | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
The universal practicality of packing deliciousness into a portable dough package ranges from Cornish pasties to empanadas to fatayer, a type of savory pie eaten throughout the Arab world.. In this class, Nadia Tommalieh will teach you how to make Palestinian-style pastries, as you learn how to knead, stuff, and fold fatayer in the traditional way to get perfectly soft and fluffy golden brown pies every time. You’ll make shorabet adas bil hamid (vegetable and lentil soup with lemon and pomegranate molasses); fatayer sabanekh (triangle-shaped spinach-stuffed pies); fatayer jebneh (boat-shaped savory cheese and herb pies); sfeeha (open-faced seasoned beef pies), and dagga gazawyieh (spicy Gaza-style sauce with tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno, dill, and lemon).

Cookbook Club Potluck Supper: Boustany
2025-09-21 18:00 - 21:00 | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
We don’t always need an instructor to show us how to sit around the table and eat a meal together! So we’re breaking out of the class format in this installment of our cookbook club potluck suppers, where we’ll all explore a new cookbook together. This time around we’ll be cooking from “Boustany”, written by the Sami Tamimi. You cook a recipe from the book, and we’ll pour the wine (and do the dishes!). We’ll be in touch before the potluck so you can sign up for your favorite dish.

The Somali Table
2025-10-04 18:00 - 21:00 | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
Due to its location and landmass, Somalia is a true culinary crossroad. Indigenous Somali regional cuisines woven with lasting Italian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern influences have resulted in a cuisine that is dynamic and unique. Join local chef Ifrah F. Ahmed in class, where she will teach you about the food of Somalia and how to make some of her favorite classic dishes. On the menu: xawaash-spiced lamb (braised lamb shanks with xawaash spice and cilantro garlic sauce); muufo (corn flatbread); fuul (mashed fava bean and tomato stew); and bariis(Somali-style rice).

The Jordanian Table: Mansaf
2025-10-08 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-10-09 18:00 - 21:00 | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
Join Nadia Tommalieh for a journey into the heart of Jordanian hospitality through its most iconic dish. In this class, you’ll explore the cultural roots and rituals surrounding mansaf as you learn to prepare it, from slowly braising lamb shanksin a rich, tangy sauce made from jameed (dried yogurt) to serving the lamb over turmeric- and ghee-scented rice, nestled on top of shrak, a delicate Bedouin flatbread. To complete your Jordanian table you’ll prepare galayet bandoura(sautéed ripe tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, and chili, served with crispy pita chips); zaiytoon (green olives marinated in lemon, jalapeño, turmeric, and olive oil); mkhalel left (bright pink pickled turnips in brine); and, for dessert, awameh(light, crispy dough balls soaked in orange blossom syrup and sprinkled with crushed pistachios).

Arabian Dessert Shop
2025-10-09 11:00 - 13:30 | Whisk, 10385 Main St, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Growing up, Chef Hend enjoyed eating many of the sweet treats of her heritage made by her family. In this hands-on class, Chef Hend Yahya will share with you her favorite Arabian desserts with a Fall twist. Think warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and cardamom. She will teach you her techniques and tricks to making a swirled, buttery cookie filled with date paste seasoned with Fall spices. You will also learn to make a yeasted sweet, fluffy pancake stuffed with fresh apples and walnuts and soaked in a delicious cinnamon syrup, Chef Hend’s personal favorite! Last, but definitely not least, is a light, flavorful coconut cake made with semolina flour and topped with almonds. You will go home with plenty of desserts to share with family and friends.

Makrouta (Swirled, Buttery Cookie)
Atayef (Stuffed Pancake with Cinnamon Syrup)
Besbousa (Coconut Cake with Cardamom Syrup)

Palestinian Street Food Classics
2025-10-12 11:00 - 13:30 | Whisk, 10385 Main St, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
In this hands-on class we will explore some of the most popular street foods and staples of Palestine and other neighboring Levantine countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Chef Hend Yahya will guide you through some of her cultural family favorites. Your culinary street food journey will begin with classic falafel bites brimming with spices and herbs and accompanied by a silky tahini sauce. Next you will create a light vegetable filled salad ( Fattoush) with fried pita croutons. Every street food experience must include Saj, an unleavened thin flatbread which you’ll use as a wrap for your chicken shawarma. Shawarma is bold spiced marinated meat which is grilled and sliced thin. You will complete your wrap with fresh cut vegetables and a zesty yogurt garlic sauce. Join Chef Hend for a culinary journey through the beautiful food culture of Palestine and the Middle East.

Falafel with Tahini Sauce (chef demos blending, students form and fry)
Saj (thin Flatbread)
Fattoush, Romain lettuce tossed with tomato, cucumber, radish, fried pita chips with a mint and sumac vinaigrette
Grilled Chicken Shawarma, Middle Eastern Pickles and Yogurt Garlic Sauce
