Why I Started Cooking (and How It Became Zee’s Love in a Jar)
From Resistance to Purpose (and a Jar Full of Love)
This is my first blog.
I’ve been meaning to write for a long time, but honestly… I kept resisting it. I always felt like I had so much to say and didn’t know where to begin.
So I decided to just start here.
Recently, I was invited to be part of a project by photographer Hugh Stewart, where I was asked to share a story, any story. And it made me reflect on something that keeps showing up in my life:
The things we resist the most… sometimes end up becoming our purpose.
I Wasn’t Supposed to Be in the Kitchen
When I moved to Australia 23 years ago, I was five months pregnant, freshly graduated, and had studied psychology and education.
I had a completely different vision for my life.
I didn’t see myself in the kitchen at all. I wanted to become a psychologist, to help people in a more traditional way.
Cooking was not part of the plan.
Then the Cravings Started
But then life shifted.
I started craving the food I grew up with in Morocco, the dishes my grandmother and aunties used to make. The flavours, the smells, the comfort.
And being pregnant made those cravings impossible to ignore.
So I started calling home, asking for recipes, and trying to recreate those meals in my own kitchen here in Australia.
And Something Unexpected Happened
I fell in love with cooking.
Not just the food but the feeling.
It became something deeply therapeutic, grounding, and comforting. It connected me back to my roots in a way I didn’t expect.
At one point, I even thought about combining my background in psychology with cooking creating something like cooking therapy for communities who needed support.
(My brain has always been full of ideas.)
The Moment Everything Changed
I started cooking more. Teaching Moroccan cooking. Doing small catering jobs.
And then I got a job at a local café in Bondi.
I remember watching someone I had never met sit down and eat my food, trusting me to nourish them.
That feeling… it stayed with me.
And honestly, I still feel that way today. I feel so grateful every time someone eats something I’ve made.
Taking It Seriously
That’s when I made a decision.
If I was going to do this, I wanted to really understand it.
So I went and studied commercial cookery at TAFE.
Looking back now, that was the beginning of everything.
From That Kitchen to Love in a Jar
What started from cravings slowly became a passion.
And that passion turned into what is now Zee’s Love in a Jar, a range of Moroccan-inspired products made to help people create beautiful, nourishing meals at home.
This month, I’m celebrating six years of Love in a Jar… which still feels surreal.
And it all started with something I resisted.
What I’ve Learned
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:
Pay attention to what you resist.
There might be something there for you.
This Is Just the Beginning
There are so many more stories I want to share, about building this business, the challenges, the wins, and everything in between.
But this felt like the right place to start.
Watch the story from this project here:
This journey became Zee’s Love in a Jar—explore the range here https://loveinajar.co/collections/moroccan-sauces-preserves
Thank you for being here.
Much LOVE,
Z
