International Classic

The Art of Syrian Cookery, authored by Helen Corey, became in instant success, having stayed on DoubleDay’s best seller list for 24 years as an international classic.  When it went out of print there was a continuous demand for the book, Corey saw the need to revise the book and gave it a new title Healthy Syrian and Lebanese Cooking.  Many new photos and additional recipes are included in this revised edition, plus Health Benefits of the foods and Useful Arabic phrases used every day.

Helen researched the health benefits of the foods and included them in this book.  Her recipes are healthy in grains, legumes, lentils and bulgur – so many ingredients relevant in today’s healthy lifestyle.  In addition to a variety of Syrian/Lebanese foods, Lenten (meatless) foods abound with complete chapters on appetizers, vegetarian, meat, poultry, desserts and a history of the Middle Eastern peoples customs and cultures.

Her appearances throughout the country have dubbed her book as a “cultural treasure”.  Aramco magazine wrote: “Much of the popularity of Middle East foods among non-Arabs in the U.S. can be attributed to Helen Corey, a Syrian/American who wrote a handsome volume, details scores of recipes and laces in enough folklore and Arabic translation to pique the interest of even the most non-Arab cook”.  The book, written in a charming style of Old World history attendant to the origin and continuity of the age-old recipes is much more than just a cookbook, as many national publication writers have observed.  Helen is the recipient of the Governor’s prestigious Sagamore of the Wabash award.  She has also been written in Who’s Who in American Women and the only Syrian/American ever elected to State Office in the State of Indiana.

Corey produced a cooking DVD show (70 minute running time) titled The Art of Syrian & Lebanese Cooking, a companion to the cookbook.  The DVD is receiving 5 star ratings, the highest you can get.  She has conducted free-lance TV shows for American cablevision and has been a TV hostess for visiting dignitaries for the international community of Indianapolis.  Her lectures and workshops around the country have included: The Smithsonian Institute, Washington D. C., Speaker at New England College, Henneker, N. H. where she also prepared a banquet for 300 persons.  She has conducted cooking classes at ISU, Terre Haute, IUPUI’s Continuing Education Class, and has been on stage at Indiana Theater where members of the audience were chosen to dine on stage.  She has also been a substitute teacher at high schools and elementary schools on Middle Eastern customs and cultures.  She taught a group of 4-H club members in New Hampshire how to cook nutritious foods, and was a speaker for the Senior Citizens as well as the United Church of Warner where she also cooked a Syrian meal for 100.  She also appears often at Antiochian Orthodox Church festivals throughout the country giving food demonstrations, some of those include Atlanta, Georgia; San Francisco, California; Indianapolis, Indiana and other areas including Naples, Florida.

Corey tells the public: “My culture has a wealth of historical information and healthy foods and I wanted to share them with everyone as I believe that the recipe of understanding one another’s customs and cultures can bring about true world peace and brotherhood.

ABOUT HER BOOK AND DVD

The pages of Helen Corey’s cookbook Healthy Syrian and Lebanese Cooking comes alive in Helen’s newest DVD The Art of Syrian and Lebanese Cooking as she gives you important tips and techniques in preparing these popular foods of Syria and Lebanon.  It goes hand in hand with her cookbook.  They are both receiving 5 star reviews and rated high for the food network.  If you don’t have the book and DVD, you should.

HER COOKING AND GARDENING

My favorite activities include demonstrating our foods at festivals and creating new recipes.  Party planning and entertaining family and friends is a high priority on my list.  I’ve taken on all the wonders of planting and cooking from my mother, Maheeba.  She lived to be 107 and even at that age delighted everyone with her stories and foods.  My passion for our culture and our foods came from this beautiful lady.  She was always delighted hearing from the hundreds of people around the country who praised her for the recipes I learned from her.  I know she is smiling down from the heavens as she watches me harvest my eggplant, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs, having learned from her “green thumb”.  We were truly blessed having her with us those many years and I count my blessings every day for the years we spent together.