As a young girl in Afghanistan, Roya learned to cook traditional Afghan cuisine from her father. Following two international moves that uprooted her family’s lives, Roya’s culinary skills are a trusted companion, offering a dependable source of income no matter her dwelling place.
Roya’s family fled Afghanistan for Turkey in 2015; where she first employed her talents in the kitchen by launching a social media cooking channel. The advertising revenue and bartering partnerships helped her family make ends meet while living as a refugee.
I decided to cook online because I had small kids and I could not work outside the home,” said the mother of four.
The channel called “Teaching Afghan Food” has gained a worldwide following, amassing a total of 100,000 subscribers on Facebook and YouTube. Her videos, averaging 10 minutes in length, clearly explain how to make traditional Afghan food, including her favorite dishes, mantu, a savory beef and onion-filled dumpling, and kabuli palaw, a rice and lamb dish.
There are many people who cook better than me, but my commenters say I explain the recipes very well.”
Roya’s 9-year-old son Murtaza is the same age as she was when apprenticing under her father, and is now the “Teaching Afghan Food” channel’s charming sidekick.
“He is like a movie star, he tests the food that I am cooking, and compliments how delicious it is. My older son edits and uploads the videos. It’s a family business.”
Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, more than 3.6 million Afghans fled to other lands in search of safety, creating a diaspora of Afghan people. Roya now sees her cooking channel as a source of cultural preservation for Afghans watching her lessons all across the world.
“I receive much feedback from many young Afghan women and men who escaped from Afghanistan and are not living with their families and never learned to cook from their parents,” she said.
They appreciate being able to learn to cook Afghan foods by watching my videos.”
Roya’s family arrived in St. Cloud, Minnesota in early 2024, with the resettlement support of Arrive Ministries and a team of Good Neighbor volunteers.
While her family finds their footing in a new community, Roya’s dreams are still sizzling on the front burner.
I wish to be a very famous cook in the future, and maybe my husband and I can open up an Afghan restaurant someday.”
Roya is searching for Minnesota businesses that are open to sponsorship in exchange for a promotional partnership.
Find her at YouTube.com/@teachingafghanfood or Facebook.com/TeachingAfghanFood
